Longtime supporters of Venezuela’s late president Hugo Chávez are expressing anger and disbelief over the government’s growing cooperation with US President Donald Trump, marking a sharp departure from the anti-American position traditionally associated with Chavismo.
The shift has emerged under interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who has pursued closer relations with Washington and backed a major oil agreement involving US interests. Rodríguez has defended the partnership as necessary to revive Venezuela’s economy and attract investment.
For some Chavista figures, however, the rapprochement represents a painful ideological reversal. Mario Silva, a prominent Chávez loyalist and former state television host, has criticised Rodríguez after years of defending the movement’s opposition to US influence. Other former government allies, including former vice-president Elías Jaua and former Caracas mayor Juan Barreto, have also questioned the direction of the government.
The disagreement centres partly on Venezuela’s oil resources. Rodríguez says cooperation with Washington can generate substantial revenues for rebuilding the country, while critics argue that the arrangements compromise principles that were central to Chávez’s political movement.
The developments follow the January removal of Nicolás Maduro and Rodríguez’s subsequent emergence as interim president, after which Caracas rapidly expanded its engagement with Washington.
The growing divide highlights tensions between Chavismo’s traditional anti-imperialist identity and the government’s increasingly pragmatic approach to securing investment, economic recovery and international support.
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