Some Republicans are pushing for free elections in Venezuela and warn of their distrust of Delcy Rodriguez

While senior Trump administration officials have stressed the impossibility of holding elections in Venezuela in a short period of time, some representatives and senior Republican figures have warned of the need for a swift and effective transition to democracy, so that Venezuelans can once again elect their rulers freely and without restrictions, with the support of the United States.

Some of them have even warned President Donald Trump about Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's de facto leader, who is a chavismo hierarch with an extensive record of corruption and human rights violations weighing on her shoulders.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida was among those who warned about the Chavista regime's age-old tactics to buy time, outwit the U.S. and remain in power.

Gimenez, mainly, pointed out that the transition "can't be years, I'm telling you right now."

"This is what these regimes do, they just negotiate for time, try to wait you out, so you weaken your will. So it can't be — I'm talking months, I am not talking years," the representative said, quoted by Fox News.

"Now the number of months, you know, I don't know what the number would be, but certainly not years," he added. "And the people inside Venezuela need to see changes happening pretty quickly. People out here that live in the diaspora need to see that also."

Gonzalez said he backs opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who is close to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to multiple congressmen, senators and Republican leaders in Florida. The representative also agreed with President Trump that Venezuela must be stable before holding an election. Likewise, he considered that Machado would win an election under certain conditions.

"I think the president is saying, and kind of rightly so, that at this point nobody in the opposition has the security apparatus needed to maintain order on the country. So you've got to deal with what you got right now," he said. "I'm not happy about it, but it's just reality. But I do think that in the end, if I were to bet right now, yeah, I think she'd win."

Along with Gonzalez, his Cuban-American colleagues in Congress, Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar, expressed skepticism toward Rodriguez, whom they consider "illegitimate" to lead the transition in Venezuela.

"Mrs. Delcy Rodriguez said a few hours ago that Maduro was the legitimate president of Venezuela and that the United States had to release him. Already there he is showing his colors," Salazar said. "You can't leave the United States and let any of these bandits, because it's like the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. You're not going to put the 25th thief."

Likewise, Díaz-Balart firmly affirmed that María Corina Machado has what it takes to be the next president of Venezuela.

"There's going to have to be a period of transition," the Republican told CBS News, who added that, ultimately, “the goal should be for elections so that the Venezuelan people can make the decision as to who they want to run the government.”

Also in Florida, Senator Rick Scott was clear in his endorsement of María Corina Machado and his doubts about Delcy Rodriguez, whom he asked for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Venezuela, including the Americans still being held.

"I just got off the phone with @MariaCorinaYA. She is extremely grateful for @POTUS' bold action to hold Maduro and his henchmen accountable and work to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela. Now we must get political prisoners, including Americans, out of the house and end the regime's repression once and for all!"

Outside of Florida, another Republican figure who has shown skepticism toward Delcy Rodriguez is Rudy Giuliani, the lawyer and former mayor of New York, who is very close to President Trump.

"DON’T WASTE TIME, CUT OFF THE ENTIRE HEAD OF THE SNAKE! The sooner Delcy Rodriguez is removed the better," Giuliani said on his X account. "It was smart to let her help “rat out” her boss, but she is an integral part of the Chavez-Maduro corrupt, homicidal regime. The sooner she and her communist, homicidal regime is removed, the more likely we avoid a recurring historical mistake of American intelligence."

Finally, the Donald Trump Jr. podcast featured guest Erik Prince, founder of security firm Blackwater and another person close to President Trump and his team.

A clip of the program was uploaded on X by Trump Jr., shows Prince and the president's son discussing the transition in Venezuela and a potential election. Prince told Trump Jr. that he believes the Trump administration will push for an electoral timetable in the future and asserted that Machado has a role to play there.

"She campaigned the entire time. She is the most fearless woman in all of Venezuela. She really deserves to be the president or have some significant executive role because she's the one that won the Nobel Prize for tirelessly campaigning for freedom in Venezuela," Prince stated.