Richard Grenell, the Trump administration's envoy for Special Missions, confirmed that he has been in dialogue with Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro "on President Trump's orders," even as Washington increases military pressure on Caracas.
"I've spoken to Mr. Maduro, I've gone down to Venezuela, and I continue to talk to his team," Grenell said an interview with CBS. Maduro recently claimed he has sent letters to Washington and offered to hold talks directly with Trump.
ÚLTIMA HORA | Richard Grennell confirma que mantiene diálogo con la administración de Maduro en Venezuela.
— AlbertoRodNews (@AlbertoRodNews) September 25, 2025
"Ya he estado dialogando por orden del presidente Trump. He hablado con Maduro, he ido a Venezuela y sigo hablando con su equipo" https://t.co/A205NgedQc pic.twitter.com/ORtzcKHlgK
The envoy, who has previously traveled to Venezuela to negotiate the release of American prisoners, has argued for diplomacy and insisted that "we must avoid a war." Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Paraguay earlier this month, he said: "I've sat across from Nicolás Maduro, I've articulated the America First position, and I still believe we can strike a deal."
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Grenell's conciliatory stance has drawn criticism inside the administration, which has taken an increasingly aggressive posture toward Venezuela, as a new report from Semafor revealed on Thursday. Some senior Trump officials have downplayed the envoy's role, saying he does not represent the administration's official line on Venezuela. A senior administration official told the outlet that "Ric Grenell's personal comments have been out of step with the president and administration, and the president himself and secretary of state should be deemed as the official policymakers."
The Trump administration has signaled it wants to remove Maduro from power, doubling the bounty on his arrest to $50 million and linking his government to organized crime groups, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. In recent weeks, U.S. forces have expanded their presence in the Caribbean, striking vessels it claimed were tied to drug trafficking off Venezuela's coast. The operations have killed at least 17 people.
For his part, Maduro has pledged to keep sending letters to Washington, claiming he wants to "defend the truth of Venezuela" and inviting Trump to "preserve the peace with dialogue and understanding in the hemisphere."
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