President Donald Trump reportedly said Saturday that the United States will take control of Venezuela’s governance on a temporary basis following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, vowing to oversee the country until a safe and orderly transition can be put in place.
Speaking during a news conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said the move is intended to prevent Venezuela from sliding back into the same instability that has plagued the country for years. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” Trump said.
He added that the United States does not want to allow another leadership vacuum that could recreate what he described as the disastrous situation Venezuela has endured for a long period of time.
Pressed on who, specifically, would be in charge, Trump said the United States would oversee operations through a team rather than a single individual. “We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly,” he said. Trump emphasized that his administration’s focus would be on protecting ordinary Venezuelans, including those who were forced to flee the country under Maduro’s rule.
“We’re going to make sure the people of Venezuela are taken care of,” Trump said, adding that those who were driven out by what he called a “thug” would also be looked after.
Following Maduro’s capture, Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, assumed power. Asked whether the U.S. would work with Rodríguez, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already spoken with her. According to Trump, Rodríguez has signaled a willingness to cooperate.
“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump said. While describing her demeanor as “gracious,” the president also made clear that Washington is firmly in control of the situation. He said Rodríguez does not have “a choice” in the matter.
Trump also announced that the United States would take control of Venezuela’s oil production, framing it as a necessary step after years of collapse and mismanagement. “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time,” Trump said. He added that major U.S. oil companies would step in to rebuild the country’s broken infrastructure.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” he said.
Trump’s remarks came just hours after U.S. forces arrested Maduro and his wife on narco-terrorism charges following overnight strikes in Venezuela. The operation occurred only days after Maduro publicly said he was open to talks with Washington on drug trafficking and oil. Congressional leaders were reportedly notified only after the mission had concluded.
The dramatic move followed months of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Maduro, whom U.S. officials have long accused of leading a drug cartel, rigging elections and running what they described as a “narco-state.” The administration has repeatedly labeled Maduro an illegitimate leader.
In earlier statements, Maduro claimed the United States wanted to seize Venezuela’s oil reserves. Trump’s comments Saturday suggest that control of the country’s energy sector will indeed be central to Washington’s plans as it oversees what the president says will be a carefully managed transition for Venezuela’s future.
