President Donald Trump said the United States intends to temporarily oversee Venezuela until what he described as a safe, orderly and fair political transition can be achieved.
Presenting the move as necessary but limited in scope, Trump said the U.S. would not allow instability or outside actors to fill the vacuum before conditions are secure. He framed the objective as restoring peace, liberty and justice for Venezuelans, including those who fled the country and hope to return.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said.
He warned that the United States is prepared to escalate if circumstances require it, stating, “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack,” and adding that American forces remain in place. “We’re there now, and we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” he said.
Trump made the remarks during a news conference Saturday, hours after U.S. special forces carried out overnight strikes in Caracas and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The two were transported to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Trump said the United States plans to directly manage Venezuela in coordination with international partners, with a particular focus on rebuilding the country’s oil industry. “We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly,” he said. He estimated rebuilding the oil infrastructure would cost billions of dollars and said the investment would be funded by oil companies. “We’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be,” he said, adding that revenues would be used inside Venezuela to support its population, including those “forced out of Venezuela by this thug.”
When asked whether U.S. forces would remain in the country, Trump declined to rule out a sustained military presence. “They always say boots on the ground — so we’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” he said, confirming that American troops were already involved “at a very high level” during the operation.
Trump emphasized that the U.S. intends to remain engaged and retain control during the transition. “We’re there now. We’re ready to go again if we have to. We’re going to run the country… very judiciously, very fairly,” he said. He also accused Venezuela’s former leadership of misappropriating oil infrastructure built with American involvement, adding, “We’re late, but we did something about it.”
Asked whether the United States would back opposition leader María Corina Machado or work with Venezuela’s newly sworn-in vice president, Trump signaled flexibility. He noted the vice president had been selected under Maduro but said U.S. officials were already engaging with her. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great,” he said, adding that the situation was being handled directly by his team.
Trump said the United States would not repeat past interventions where forces withdrew quickly. “If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back,” he said. “We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally. We’ll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars. Use that money in Venezuela. And the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela.”
When asked why running a country in South America aligns with an “America First” approach, Trump said regional stability and energy security were central U.S. interests. “We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We want to surround ourselves with stability. We want to surround ourselves with energy,” he said. “We have tremendous energy in that country. It’s very important that we protect it.”
U.S. involvement in managing political transitions abroad has often faced significant challenges, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s approach. The most recent U.S. military intervention to remove a leader in Latin America occurred in Panama in 1989, when American forces ousted Manuel Noriega. Although the operation succeeded quickly, it was followed by long-term difficulties stabilizing governance.
That intervention also resulted in substantial civilian harm. Estimates of civilian deaths varied widely, and neighborhoods such as El Chorrillo in Panama City were heavily damaged, leaving thousands homeless and contributing to lingering resentment.
After years of hyperinflation that eroded savings, weakened wages and fueled mass migration, some U.S. officials — and many Venezuelans — believe almost any alternative to Maduro would represent an improvement. Videos circulating on social media showed Venezuelans inside the country and abroad celebrating during moments of heightened U.S. pressure.
Opposition figures Edmundo González Urrutia and his running mate, Machado, have positioned themselves as alternatives to Maduro, insisting they won last year’s presidential election despite official results declaring Maduro the victor. Machado, who was barred from holding office by a court appointed under Maduro, backed González as a unity candidate, while opposition groups and international observers rejected the election outcome as fraudulent.
González has since left Venezuela amid pressure from the Maduro government, while Machado’s current whereabouts remain unknown. She has continued to call for domestic and international pressure to force a political transition.
Following Maduro’s capture, Machado urged Venezuela’s armed forces to recognize González as the country’s “legitimate president” and commander-in-chief, saying the opposition is prepared to “assert our mandate and take power.” In a defiant statement, she declared “the hour of freedom has arrived,” argued that Maduro now faces international justice, and called on Venezuelans at home and abroad to mobilize for what she described as the final phase of a democratic transition.
Asked about the U.S. record of removing dictators, Trump said his presidency marked a departure from past efforts. “That’s when we had different presidents,” he said. “That’s not with me.” He cited previous military operations under his leadership as examples of success, adding, “You’ve had only victories, you’ve had no losses yet.”
