Donald Trump celebrates arrest of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, describes Delcy Rodriguez as ‘friend and partner’ in SOTU address

President Donald Trump praised a military operation that led to the January arrest of President Nicolás Maduro in his State of the Union address. He also asserted Marco Rubio, a key figure in diplomatic efforts before and after the strike, will go down as the greatest Secretary of State in U.S. history.

“America’s Armed Forces overwhelm all defenses. Not only have they defeated the enemy. Good fighters end the reign of outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro and bring him to face American justice,” she said.

The strike has been heralded by Republicans, particularly in Florida, as a seminal moment in the Western Hemisphere toward achieving peace through strength abroad. An estimated 49% of all Venezuelans in the U.S. live in Florida, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

But Trump also controversially offered praise to the cohorts of Maduro still running the country today.

“We’re working closely with the new President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries and to bring new hope to those who have suffered so terribly,” Trump said.

Rodriguez, Maduro’s hand-selected Vice President, remains in power amid promises of future elections. But immediately after Maduro’s arrest, she sounded defiant and demanded Maduro’s release before ultimately entering talks with the U.S.

Rubio, in Senate testimony earlier this year, stressed that relations with the current powers in Venezuela derive from practical considerations.

“This is not a campaign to leave in place the system that’s currently in place,” Rubio stressed to lawmakers.

Trump gave a more positive review of Rodriguez’s work to date, noting that the government has now granted the U.S. access to massive oil reserves in the South American nation.

“We just received from our new friend and partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil,” he said.

But he also demanded further repeals of Maduro’s policy. He has demanded the release of political prisoners, and during the speech announced the recent release of some politicians arrested for opposing Maduro. One was reunited with family in the room for the first time.

Trump touched on several other Florida issues during the speech.

As lawmakers from both sides of the aisle demanded restrictions on offshore drilling remain in place, the first President from Florida said he wanted aggressive oil exploration.

“American natural gas production is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill,” he said, without specifically discussing an Interior Department plan to open the Gulf and Atlantic coasts to permits.

Trump also said he wants to end the payment of health care subsidies directly to insurers, credits used by more people in Florida than in any other state. He supported health savings plans that direct similar credits into accounts controlled by consumers, a policy included in health care proposals from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican, and U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican.