Screenshot via FII Institute/YouTube
Audio By Carbonatix
In between taking the reins as Venezuela’s interim president and reshaping the country’s military leadership, Delcy Rodríguez made a rare virtual appearance today at a high-profile investment summit in Miami.
At around 11 a.m. Wednesday, Rodríguez — flanked by Venezuelan flags and appearing remotely via video call from Venezuela — spoke at the Saudi Arabian‑backed Future Investment Initiative (FII) Priority “Capital in Motion” Summit at the Faena Hotel and Forum in Miami Beach, under a forum titled “THE NEW LATAM ORDER.” The former vice president and oil minister of Venezuela focused her remarks largely on the country’s economy, presenting what appeared to be a PowerPoint with data on Venezuela’s growth across various sectors such as oil and construction.
“We are planting the future,” Rodríguez said.
But while Rodríguez ended her roughly 15-minute-long appearance and offered to answer questions, she abruptly disappeared from the large television screen at the summit and did not return.
“Sorry about that technological glitch…,” the event moderator awkwardly told the crowd of the Irish exit.
After the United States bombed Venezuela and captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in an overnight military action in early January, Rodríguez was sworn in as the country’s interim president. The Trump administration has since ramped up pressure on the Maduro loyalists who remain in power in the oil-rich nation under Rodríguez.
The FII priority summit, funded by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is stacked with figures from Trump world — including Trump himself. Others slated to speak at the event from March 25 to March 27 include Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Trump’s son-in-law and Affinity Partners CEO Jared Kushner, White House science and technology adviser Michael Kratsios, and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
“Under the theme ‘Capital in Motion,’ this summit will explore how capital must move, adapt, and lead in a rapidly fragmenting world, and how investment, technology, and policy can unlock sustainable and inclusive growth, with a strong focus on Latin America and the Americas at the center of global transformation,” a press release reads.
As previously reported by New Times, the FII Priority Summit first came to Miami in 2023, thanks to former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who, the Miami Herald reported, had cozied up to the PIF Governor and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s right-hand man, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, at one of the summits in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Senate has launched probes into the Saudi PIF and its growing influence in the country as it tries to whitewash the kingdom’s bloody reputation.
