Hours after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured and flown from the country after “a large-scale strike”, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday (January 3, 2026) that the United States will “run” Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves. He was speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida after what he claimed was “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American might and confidence”.
He said the strike “rendered all Venezuelan military capacities powerless”. Without getting into details, Mr. Trump said: “We’re going to be running it with a group.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to be working on the details.
“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Mr. Trump said, adding that Mr. Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the southern district of New York for their campaign of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States and its citizens.
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At the press conference, Mr. Trump indicated that U.S. troops could be deployed in Venezuela. The U..S is “not afraid of boots on the ground,” he said.
