Salazar Hits the Deal, Then Hits Delete
Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida made a fast U-turn Saturday after first criticizing President Donald Trump’s new oil agreement with Venezuela, then deleting her posts and coming back with praise. Salazar, a longtime critic of Venezuela’s socialist regime, first warned on X that any oil “deal” with Venezuela’s interim regime would have “an expiration date: the day President Trump leaves the White House.” She also said Delcy Rodríguez was “buying time” and warned that the regime had taken American investments before and could do it again. Then, like a politician realizing the room got very quiet, both the English and Spanish versions of her post disappeared.
The New Message Was Much Friendlier
About an hour later, Salazar returned to X with a very different tone, calling the U.S.-Venezuela oil deal “a great deal for the United States and the Venezuelan people.” She argued that China had used Venezuela’s weakness for years to buy its oil at deep discounts, while American investment and influence could now help offer Venezuela “a path toward prosperity, stability, and security.” That is quite a shift from warning that the whole thing might collapse after Trump leaves office. Washington can change its mind fast, but this one needed a seat belt.
The U.S.-Venezuela oil deal is a great deal for the United States and the Venezuelan people.
For years, China took advantage of Venezuela’s weakness to buy its oil at deep discounts. Now America is stepping in, and American investment and influence offer Venezuela a path toward…
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) August 29, 2026
Trump Says the Deal Opens Huge Oil Reserves
Trump announced the agreement Friday, saying the United States had negotiated with Rodríguez to give private American companies access to 65 billion barrels of proven Venezuelan oil reserves. Trump said the deal would come “at no cost to the American Taxpayer” and predicted it would boost American oil supplies while helping push energy prices lower. Venezuela said American companies would gain access to 17 oil fields, which could generate up to $100 billion in investment and more than $209 billion in tax revenue. If those numbers hold, this is not some small paperwork shuffle in a dusty agency office.
Salazar Still Objects to Who Signed It
Even while praising the agreement, Salazar made clear she still opposes Venezuela’s current leadership, writing that “Delcy is the wrong person to make this deal with.” She said the agreement should last well beyond Trump’s presidency if Venezuela builds democratic institutions and holds free elections, adding, “We want this deal to last 100 years.” Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader since January, after the capture and extradition of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by U.S. Special Forces. Salazar did not explain why she deleted her first posts or what caused her sudden change in tone, which leaves voters to wonder what happened during that very busy hour.
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