James Story, America's last chargé d'affaires in Venezuela before the 2019 embassy closure, left after a stark warning from the foreign minister: stay and risk murder. When diplomats raised the flag in March for the first time in seven years, they faced a building festering with black mold and a relationship equally rotten - culminating in Trump's special ops snatching President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Now, U.S. staff working out of a Marriott two miles away are racing to buddy up to a regime filled with indicted drug traffickers and bounty targets.

The humanitarian response to last month's deadly earthquakes - which left 4,490 dead and 18,000 homeless, per Venezuelan authorities - has deepened this bizarre partnership. U.S. Marines now serve as air traffic controllers at Venezuela's main airport and run the port in La Guaira, the hardest-hit coastal state. State Department teams distribute American-flag-emblazoned boxes of food and water. But the Trump administration's cooperation with officials like Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello - for whom the U.S. once offered a $25 million reward - risks squandering goodwill. Chargé d'Affairs John Barrett and General Francis Donovan faced outrage after meeting Cabello, who oversaw brutal security forces.

Former diplomats like Story, who left a note proclaiming optimism that "Democracy is within reach," worry that tactical success from Maduro's capture is being squandered without democratic transition. "And if that is delayed now because of the earthquake, at some point the frustration will bubble over to the United States," he said. The U.S. three-phase plan - stability, economic recovery, political reconciliation, then democratic transition - looks earthquake-damaged. No election date is set; the 180-day constitutional period for temporary presidential absence passed with Delcy Rodríguez still in charge. Her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, announced new negotiations with former opposition lawmakers.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the setback: "It's a setback in that regard." Venezuelans complain of government absence in crucial rescue hours, bureaucratic aid hurdles, and soldiers looting. The most popular opposition figure, María Corina Machado, was turned away mid-flight by the Trump administration when trying to return, per The Wall Street Journal. "There's a real chance that we're going to squander this opportunity," said Rebecca Bill Chavez, former Pentagon official. "Betting that stability and Venezuelan oil can come first and democracy can wait indefinitely - it's a dangerous bet."

The U.S. has spent $310 million on earthquake response, delivered 1 million pounds of relief, and donated 10 freezer containers for the dead. But that lags behind billions spent on other disasters. The UN says another $300 million is needed. Chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen is on the ground, said the U.S. military presence felt like "they were coming to invade more than they were coming to help." Some 900 U.S. troops have no departure timeline, but the embassy will stay open. Former diplomats urge the U.S. to stop sidelining the opposition and hasten elections. "Venezuelans trust that the United States will help Venezuela reach its goals," said opposition leader Jose Ferreira, just steps from the embassy where relatives of political prisoners gather.