Richard Grenell told ABC Mornings that he is in ongoing communication with the Venezuelan Government. A White House official stated that Grenell’s belief in the possibility of a deal with Caracas led to his removal from discussions involving Venezuela.
Grenell, who serves as President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, was asked about a recently published letter from the Venezuelan government that requests direct talks between Caracas and Grenell.
#BreakingNews Trump’s presidential envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, said that he remains in contact with Maduro.
“I’ve already been engaging, at the direction of President Trump, I’ve spoken to Mr. Maduro, and I continue to speak with his team.” pic.twitter.com/cikDNojYjA
— Guacamaya (@theguacamayave) September 25, 2025
Trump’s envoy noted that he had already traveled to Venezuela and met with President Nicolas Maduro. That trip occurred in February, and he secured the release of six Americans held in Venezuela.
Grenell added that he remains in communication with Venezuelan officials.
Grenell’s belief that making a deal with Maduro is still possible has angered some of his colleagues in the Trump administration. One official told Semafor that Grenell had been sidelined on matters related to Venezuela.
“Unfortunately, Ric Grenell’s personal comments have been out of step with the president and administration, and the President himself and Secretary of State [Marco Rubio] should be deemed as the official policymakers,” the official told the outlet.
Maduro has slammed Rubio as the “lord of death and war.”
The White House has engaged in a large-scale military buildup in the Caribbean under the pretext of stopping drug trafficking from narco-terrorist cartels in Venezuela to the US. However, only a small portion of drugs coming from South America arrive in the US via Venezuela.
The Trump administration has claimed that Maduro is the leader of multiple cartels placed on the foreign terrorist organizations list. The State Department has placed a $50 million bounty on the Venezuelan president. However, the US intelligence community has said that Maduro is not the leader of a cartel.
This month, the US has bombed at least three boats that departed from Venezuela. Washington says 16 drug traffickers who were members of narco-terrorist groups were killed, but has not provided evidence to support the assertion.
This week, US officials told the New York Times that the real goal of military operations in the Caribbean was to remove Maduro from power.
