Trump and Rodríguez Hold First-Ever Face-to-Face Meeting at UN General Assembly

President Trump and Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez met in person for the first time on September 23, an informal pull-aside during a reception Trump hosted on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York — Rodríguez's first visit to the United States since taking office. She was accompanied by Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia; Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Rodríguez said the two discussed 'strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries and moving forward with a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining, and security,' as well as restructuring Venezuela's sovereign debt, and called the encounter 'historic' in a post on X. It was the first meeting between the two leaders since US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in the January 2026 raid.