United States President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will temporarily oversee Venezuela as the country transitions to new leadership.
Trump made the statement on Saturday during a press briefing following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that reportedly led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
“We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela who doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” Trump said.
He described Venezuela’s oil sector as severely mismanaged, adding that American oil companies would invest billions of dollars to repair damaged infrastructure and revive production, with the goal of generating revenue for the country.
Trump also issued a warning to remaining political and military leaders in Venezuela, saying they should understand that the same outcome could apply to them.
“The Venezuelan people are free again,” Trump said, adding that the United States is now a “safer” and “prouder nation.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also speaking on Saturday, described the operation as “a massive joint military and law enforcement raid, flawlessly executed.”
Hegseth said Maduro “had his opportunity” but failed to change course.
