US President Donald Trump speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2025. JIM WATSON / AFP
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States will "run" Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves after snatching leader Nicolas Maduro out of the country during a bombing raid on Caracas. Trump's announcement came hours after a lightning attack in which special forces grabbed Maduro and his wife, while airstrikes pounded multiple sites, stunning the capital city.
"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump told a press conference. Trump did not go into detail about what he meant but told a press conference in Florida that a "group" would be "running" Venezuela. "We're designating people," he said, mentioning that cabinet officials standing with him would be in charge.
Trump brushed aside Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a potential interim leader of Venezuela. "I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country," Trump told a news conference. "She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect."
