Venezuelans have made their case. Trump, like Miami Republicans, should listen | Opinion
It’s been three days since the United States conducted military strikes on Venezuela and arrested Nicolás Maduro. The biggest question on everyone’s minds is what comes next. On Monday, Miami Republican members of Congress held a briefing in Doral on the U.S. action in Venezuela. And democracy was on the agenda.
During the briefing, U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez said, “It’s probably easier to arrest Maduro than convert Venezuela into the democracy that we want, but have no doubt that the day of a free and democratic Venezuela is close at hand.”
I can’t think of anything more critical. And the best way to achieve this is through holding free and fair elections.
“It’s a first step to what we hope will be a free and democratic Venezuela.” Rep. Carlos Giménez told CBS Miami on Saturday.
If that’s the case, and I think it is, the opportunity shouldn’t be squandered — or delayed.
“I think the only path forward is, to get — if it’s not the installation of the government that was elected a year and a half ago — is with some quick way to have elections in Venezuela,” Giménez said.
A free and democratic Venezuela matters for not just for Venezuelans living there, but for Miami, home to the country’s largest Venezuelan diaspora, some of whom have expressed a desire to go back and help rebuild the country. For many Venezuelans, Saturday felt like a win.
But democracy in Venezuela is far from a done deal.
There doesn’t appear to be a clear post-Maduro strategy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged patience on Face the Nation on Sunday, saying, “...there has to be a little realism here. Okay, a transition to the market — They’ve had this regime. They’ve had this system of Chavismo in place for 15 or 16 years, and everyone’s asking, why 24 hours after Nicolás Maduro was arrested, there isn’t an election scheduled for tomorrow? That’s absurd. ”
He’s not wrong — democracy isn’t built overnight. But delays carry risks. Power vacuums risk being filled by anti-democratic forces, and transitional governments can become permanent.
Critics point to Iraq as a cautionary tale. After the 2003 invasion and removal of Saddam Hussein, two years passed from when former President George W. Bush unfurled his “Mission Accomplished” banner and Iraq’s first democratic election.
The period between 2003 and 2005 was complex, and tested America’s credibility on the world’s stage and the patience of the American people. Today, Iraq has a democracy, though it’s still shaky.
Venezuela, of course, isn’t Iraq.
The Venezuelan people have already made the case for elections. During the 2024 presidential election, when Maduro barred opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from the ballot, Edmundo Gonzalez ran in her place. The U.S. said “overwhelming evidence” supported Gonzalez’s victory, but Maduro claimed he won the election and did not cede power. And even before the election, the people of Venezuela took to the streets many times, putting themselves in danger to protest the repressive government.
Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart told the Miami Herald, “I’m convinced that when there are elections — whether there are new elections or there is a decision to take the old elections, the last election — that the next democratically elected president of Venezuela is going to be Maria Corina” Machado.
Maybe so. But uncertainty remains.
Venezuela’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim president on Monday. Initially, she condemned America’s actions of capturing Maduro and was demanding his return. But she changed her tone after Trump made it clear to the Atlantic that, “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
Rodríguez has extended an invitation to the U.S. to work together. That’s fine but her changing tone only further argues for a swift transition and elections to be held before nefarious actors can sabotage America’s efforts.
The Trump administration should take note of what Miami’s Republican members of Congress are saying, and lay the groundwork for elections as quickly as possible. Venezuelans have waited long enough to democratically elect their leaders.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 1:39 PM.