President Donald Trump said late Saturday that the United States will administer Venezuela after US forces seized President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an operation in Caracas.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered the appointment of Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, as interim president, while authorities in Caracas demanded proof that Maduro and his wife were alive, according to official statements.
“We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a news conference. “We’re designating, uh, various people, and we’re gonna let you know who those people are.”
Rodriguez said Saturday that the Venezuelan government did not know where Maduro and his wife were after the United States announced it had taken them. Speaking on state television, she said the government “demands proof that Maduro and his wife are alive,” calling the operation a dangerous escalation and a violation of national sovereignty.
The US president said there was “no one ready to take power in Venezuela.” He also said Rodriguez had told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that she was prepared to cooperate with Washington, adding that Rubio was “ working on that directly.”
Trump threatened that US forces could carry out a second wave of strikes on Venezuela that would be “much bigger” if needed. “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” he said.
He said he would allow major US oil companies to enter Venezuela to exploit its oil reserves following the military operation.
“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,” Trump said.
Trump announced a day earlier that the United States had carried out “wide-ranging” strikes in Venezuela and seized Maduro and his wife, transferring them out of the country.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Saturday that more than 150 aircraft took part in the operation.
Videos circulating online showed Maduro being led to an armored vehicle after he was taken off a plane that transported him to New York City, according to the report. Other footage showed him walking in restraints inside the building where he was detained.
Maduro is expected to appear in court by Monday evening. The New York Times reported that after arriving at a military base in New York, Maduro was taken to Manhattan and then to the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s headquarters in New York City, before being transferred by helicopter to a federal detention center.
Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest oil reserves, produces about 1 million barrels of oil per day but has faced sanctions since 2019 that have forced it to sell oil at discounted prices, largely to Asian markets including China.
Before his seizure, Maduro declared a state of emergency and ordered the implementation of national defense plans in line with the constitution and emergency laws. He also signed a decree declaring a nationwide “state of external disturbance,” aimed at protecting citizens’ rights, ensuring the functioning of institutions and preparing for armed resistance, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
The ministry said Venezuela reserved its right to self-defense and called on Latin American and Caribbean governments and peoples to mobilize in solidarity against what it described as “imperialist aggression.”
The developments follow repeated threats by Trump to carry out military operations against Venezuela as part of a broader pressure campaign on Maduro that included expanded sanctions, increased US military presence in the region and a full ban on oil tankers linked to Venezuela.
Since September, US forces have carried out more than 30 strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific against boats suspected of drug trafficking, killing about 110 people. Washington has not presented evidence that drugs were being transported on those vessels.
Caracas says the Trump administration is using drug-trafficking allegations to pressure Maduro and seize control of Venezuela’s oil resources, accusing the United States of maritime piracy after the seizure of oil tankers last month.
