At a Glance
- US will “run” Venezuela until a transition after Maduro’s capture
- US plans to control oil production and rebuild infrastructure
- Maduro and wife arrested on narco-terrorism charges
- Why it matters: The move signals a direct U.S. takeover of Venezuela’s political and economic systems
President Trump announced on Saturday that the United States will take over Venezuela’s governance until a safe transition follows the recent arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. The statement comes hours after the capture and amid growing accusations that Maduro runs a narco-state.
US Plans to Run Venezuela
Trump said the U.S. would ‘run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.’ He added that the U.S. would not involve an external party in the process, citing a similar situation from years past.
President Trump announced:
> “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.”
> “We don’t want to be involved with having somebody get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.”
- Run until safe transition
- No external intervention
- Similar past situation
Oil Production and Infrastructure
Trump also outlined plans to seize control of Venezuela’s oil sector. He criticized the current state of the industry as a ‘total bust’ and pledged to bring in U.S. oil majors to invest billions.
President Trump said:
> “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust, a total bust for a long period of time.”
> “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.”
- Seize oil production
- Invest billions
- Rebuild infrastructure
- Generate revenue
Background of Capture
Maduro and his wife were arrested on narco-terrorism charges during a nighttime raid. The operation was carried out just days after Maduro indicated willingness to negotiate with the U.S. over drug trafficking and oil. Congressional leaders were notified only after the raid was complete.
Political Context
The U.S. has long accused Maduro of running a narco-state and of rigging the 2023 election. Maduro has described Washington’s actions as an attempt to seize oil reserves.
Key Takeaways
- Trump vows US will run Venezuela until a safe transition
- US plans to seize oil assets and invest billions
- Maduro’s arrest marks a direct US takeover of Venezuelan governance
The announcement signals a direct U.S. intervention in Venezuela’s political and economic future.
