Trump says US will ‘run’ Venezuela in interim; oil companies to rebuild energy infrastructure
Maduro lands in New York following US military operations that seized him and his wife
[PALM BEACH, FLORIDA] Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was brought to New York City on Saturday (Jan 3) afternoon to face federal drug charges, hours after the US military seized him and his wife in a swift and overwhelming strike on Caracas, the culmination of a campaign by President Donald Trump and his aides to oust him from power.
At least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the attack in the Venezuelan capital, according to a senior Venezuelan official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe preliminary reports.
More than 150 US aircraft were dispatched to knock out air defences so military helicopters could deliver the Special Operations forces who assaulted Maduro’s compound at 2 am local time, US officials said. The whole operation took 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Hours after the raid, Trump said at a news conference that the US would “run the country” until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power could be arranged, raising the prospect of an open-ended military commitment.
He did not say whether US forces would occupy the country, although he added that he was not afraid of “boots on the ground”.
Maduro’s aides appeared to still be in power after the attack. There were no obvious signs of a US military presence in Venezuela on Saturday afternoon, and Venezuela’s top officials and state news media projected a message of defiance.
Maduro, a self-described socialist, had led Venezuela since 2013, when the country’s previous authoritarian leader, Hugo Chavez, died. The Biden administration accused Maduro of stealing the 2024 election that kept him in power.
Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as interim president at a secret ceremony in Caracas, said in a national address that Washington had invaded her country under false pretences and that Maduro was still Venezuela’s head of state.
“There is only one president in this country, and his name is Nicolas Maduro Moros,” said Rodriguez, appearing with her defence minister and other officials.
The main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, posted a statement urging that her political ally, Edmundo Gonzalez, be recognised as Venezuela’s president immediately. Although Maduro claims he defeated Gonzalez in the last election, the US and other international observers say the election was marred by fraud.
“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power,” said Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
Trump avoided fully embracing either Rodriguez or Machado. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Rodriguez, and “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again”.
He also said Machado did not have the support or respect to lead the country.
One thing Trump made clear was his desire to open up Venezuela’s vast state-controlled oil reserves to American oil companies. He spoke at length at the news conference about American oil companies rebuilding the country’s energy infrastructure and, presumably, regaining rights they once held to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
“We are going to run the country right,” Trump said. “It’s going to make a lot of money.” Past Venezuelan governments, he said, “stole our oil” – an apparent reference to the country’s nationalisation of its oil industry. NYTIMES
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