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After the White House’s audacious mission to snatch Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Caracas, there are more questions than answers about Venezuela’s future. It is also unclear what lessons U.S. President Donald Trump will draw from successfully toppling a brutal dictator, and how that might impact his foreign policy more broadly.

Here are five major questions policymakers and journalists will puzzle over in the coming days—with some context for how to think about them.

After the White House’s audacious mission to snatch Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Caracas, there are more questions than answers about Venezuela’s future. It is also unclear what lessons U.S. President Donald Trump will draw from successfully toppling a brutal dictator, and how that might impact his foreign policy more broadly.

Here are five major questions policymakers and journalists will puzzle over in the coming days—with some context for how to think about them.

Trump surprised the world when he announced on Saturday that the United States would “run” Venezuela until he was satisfied with a transition to a new leader. In reality, Maduro’s departure left Vice President Delcy Rodríguez in pole position. What this means is that the operation to nab Maduro was not quite a regime-change mission; it just removed the figurehead. Notably, Rodríguez was no puppet deputy. In Venezuela, the vice president plays a major role. Rodríguez runs the petroleum ministry in addition to a major intelligence agency. Her brother heads the National Assembly.

There are rumors that Rodríguez may have struck a deal to enable Maduro’s capture. The interim leader may be playing a double game, telling the cameras that she wants Maduro back while privately liaising with American diplomats about Venezuela’s future. For now, we just don’t know the truth. Rodríguez may be powerful, but she has every reason to fear the United States.

One thing seems less ambiguous: The situation doesn’t look promising for María Corina Machado. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner has publicly praised Trump and sought his good graces in the hope of one day........

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