Trump Said The US Will "Run" Venezuela And Control Its Oil After It Captured Its President
Trump said the US would “run” the country until they could determine “safe, proper and judicial transition”.
US President Donald Trump has said the US will “run” Venezuela in the interim after US forces bombed the capital, Caracas, and captured President Nicolás Maduro on “drug trafficking” charges.
Around 2 am local time on Saturday, Jan. 3, US forces carried out a “large-scale strike” across Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife, who were flown out of the country to face trial in New York on several criminal charges, including narco-terrorism, cocaine importation and possession of weapons.
During a press conference on Saturday, Trump said the US would “run” the country until they could determine “safe, proper and judicial transition”.
“We're going to run it essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place,” he said.
Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has since been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president, and Trump said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Rodriguez, who Trump claimed was willing to cooperate as she did not have another choice.
Rodriguez later rejected the US’ military intervention, saying the US had “kidnapped” Maduro and that she was “ready to defend Venezuela” and its resources.
During his speech, Trump also said that some of the biggest American oil companies would enter Venezuela to rebuild its oil industry, which he said was “a total bust” for years.
Venezuela is currently home to the biggest oil reserve in the world, larger than Saudi Arabia.
However, Venezuela's oil industry has been in severe decline for years, with production far below potential due to low investment in infrastructure, mismanagement and economic sanctions from the US that limited Venezuela from selling its oil.
Trump also said that he is open to sending US troops to Venezuela, adding that the US could run Venezuela for years as it won’t cost the US anything because it would be reimbursed from the “money coming out of the ground.”
Trump did not endorse Venezuela’s main opposition leader, 2025 Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado, as a potential leader.
“She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect,” he said.
Sofia Hou
