Republican casts doubt on Trump’s assertion US will ‘run’ Venezuela amid Democrats’ outrage over Maduro operation – live
Republican retracts Trump’s remark US will ‘run’ Venezuela. Ed Pilkington. Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee as a Republican, acknowledged on CNN’s State of the Union that there remain “many questions to address” concerning the future of Venezuela. He significantly softened Trump’s assertion that the US would govern the nation, clarifying that the comment referred to the leadership needing to comply with US expectations. “The president wants to give them an opportunity to start anew in Venezuela and assist America in reaching our policy objectives there,” he stated. Cotton enumerated some of the US government’s priorities, including: “we want them to cease drug trafficking. We want them to expel the Iranians, the Cubans, the Islamic radicals.” “Simply return to being a typical nation that contributes to establishing stability, order, and prosperity, not only in Venezuela but in our backyard,” he added. Cotton also offered a cooler evaluation of Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, whom Trump has suggested the US might potentially collaborate with. “We don’t acknowledge Delcy Rodriguez as the legitimate leader of Venezuela,” the senator remarked. He further explained: “I don’t believe we can rely on Delcy Rodriguez to be amicable to the United States until she demonstrates that.”
Updated at 15.33 GMT
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Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on CBS News’ Face the Nation that he pushed back against queries regarding why other senior Venezuelan officials and allies of Nicolás Maduro were not also seized by US forces. Rubio emphasized that the mission to capture Maduro was complex. “Consider the outcry we would hear from everyone if we had to remain there four days to apprehend four other individuals,” Rubio said. “We targeted the top priority.” Several other high-ranking Venezuelan officials, closely aligned with Maduro, continue to reside in the country. One notable figure, Venezuelan interior minister Diosdado Cabello, has also been indicted by the US government, with a reward of $25 million offered for his capture. “Landing helicopters in the midst of the largest military installation in the country — where the guy lived — getting in within three minutes, breaching his door, apprehending him, reading him his rights, and transporting him in a helicopter out of the country without incurring losses of Americans or American assets is not an easy task,” Rubio stated. “And you’re questioning me: ‘Why didn’t we perform that in five other locations simultaneously?’ I mean, that’s ridiculous.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked on CBS News’ Face the Nation that the US will keep pressuring Venezuela by confiscating Venezuelan oil shipment vessels. “There’s currently a quarantine in effect concerning sanctioned oil shipments; if there’s a boat under US sanctions, we’ll acquire a court order, and we will seize it,” Rubio explained. “That will remain in effect, and it serves as a significant amount of leverage that will continue until we observe changes that not only advance the national interests of the United States, which is paramount — but also lead to a brighter future for the people of Venezuela.” The Trump administration has continually indicated its intention to control Venezuela’s extensive oil resources after removing Maduro. In December, the US government confiscated a Venezuelan oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, only to be viewed by some analysts as an act of piracy. Trump subsequently stated that the US would maintain or sell the appropriated Venezuelan oil. During Trump’s press briefing on Saturday, he claimed that Venezuela had stolen oil that belongs to the US, even though the oil is located in Venezuelan territory.
US senator Chris Murphy questioned the intentions of the Trump administration regarding the abduction and removal of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on CNN. “If this is truly about oil, if it’s just about natural resources, and if it’s solely about enriching a bunch of Donald Trump’s associates, I doubt there’s a single American family who would endorse putting their son or daughter in harm’s way to protect the interests of Wall Street,” Murphy asserted. “This once again places American oil interests and financial benefits ahead of the actual national security interests of the United States.”
Chris Murphy, the senator from Connecticut, assailed the Trump administration’s invasion of Venezuela during a CNN appearance. Murphy likened US actions against Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro to previous US military interventions around the globe. “Time and time again, we’ve witnessed these hawkish neoconservatives, many of whom have sway in this White House, rallying us into war under the pretext of ousting a ‘very bad man’,” Murphy noted, likely alluding to prolonged US conflicts in the Middle East. “This invariably results in numerous American casualties.”
Republican retracts Trump’s remark US will ‘run’ Venezuela. Ed Pilkington. Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee as a Republican, acknowledged on CNN’s State of the Union that there remain “many questions to address” concerning the future of Venezuela. He significantly softened Trump’s assertion that the US would govern the nation, clarifying that the comment referred to the leadership needing to comply with US expectations. “The president wants to give them an opportunity to start anew in Venezuela and assist America in reaching our policy objectives there,” he stated. Cotton enumerated some of the US government’s priorities, including: “we want them to cease drug trafficking. We want them to expel the Iranians, the Cubans, the Islamic radicals.” “Simply return to being a typical nation that contributes to establishing stability, order, and prosperity, not only in Venezuela but in our backyard,” he added. Cotton also offered a cooler evaluation of Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, whom Trump has suggested the US might potentially collaborate with. “We don’t acknowledge Delcy Rodriguez as the legitimate leader of Venezuela,” the senator remarked. He further explained: “I don’t believe we can rely on Delcy Rodriguez to be amicable to the United States until she demonstrates that.”
Updated at 15.33 GMT
Marco Rubio: ‘the Cuban government is a huge problem’ When queried by NBC News whether the US will next focus on the Cuban government, Rubio stated, “the Cuban government is a huge problem” and when pressed if this implied action, Rubio responded: “I believe they are in considerable trouble.” He went on to say: “I’m not going to discuss our future actions or policies in this regard right now. However, it’s quite clear that we do not have a strong affection for the Cuban regime.” Cuba – closely allied with Venezuela – termed the US attack as an “act of state terrorism” and continues to monitor the developments in Caracas closely. The nation, heavily reliant on Venezuelan oil, is enduring a severe economic crisis.
Updated at 15.30 GMT The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, whom Donald Trump claimed will assist in “running” Venezuela, is communicating with the US media. We will provide the newest updates as soon as possible. Here is a portion of what Rubio said to NBC News’ Meet the Press program. When asked how many American soldiers were present in Venezuela, he confirmed there were no troops on the ground. “We don’t have US forces on the ground,” Rubio replied, adding that US forces were in Venezuela “for around two hours when they went to capture Maduro” on Saturday.
Pope calls for Venezuela to maintain its independence from the US Pope Leo – the first American pope – asserted that Venezuela must remain a sovereign nation while advocating for the respect of human rights following Nicolás Maduro’s apprehension by the US. Speaking to crowds at the Vatican after Sunday prayers, the Pope – who spent years as a missionary in Peru – stated: “The well-being of the beloved Venezuelan people must supersede all other considerations.” This must “promote the cessation of violence and guide us toward justice and peace, safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, upholding the rule of law as defined in the constitution, honoring the human and civil rights of every individual, and collaborating to foster a peaceful future of cooperation, stability, and harmony, with particular focus on the poorest who are enduring hardship due to the challenging economic climate.” Pope Leo delivers his Sunday Angelus blessing overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Vatican. Photograph: Elisabetta Trevisan – Vatican Media/Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Updated at 15.09 GMT What we know so far. Rachel Hall.
A plane believed to have transported Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, landed in New York on Saturday night. Maduro was brought to the US Drug Enforcement Administration offices and is now thought to be at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
CBS News reported that Maduro arrived at the MDC around 8:52 pm ET on Saturday, where he was filmed executing a “perp walk” while handcuffed and escorted by agents in a video shared via the White House’s official quick-response account. In the footage, Maduro, attired in a black hoodie and cap, walks down a corridor adorned with a carpet that reads “DEA NYD”. He can be heard uttering “Goodnight” and “Happy new year.”
Donald Trump stated during a press conference on Saturday, “We’re going to manage the country [Venezuela] until we can arrange a safe, sound, and prudent transition.” He did not elaborate further.
A recently unsealed indictment from the US justice department alleges that Nicolás Maduro oversees a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by an extensive drug-trafficking network that inundated the US with thousands of tons of cocaine.
The US is set to be “very intensively involved” in Venezuela’s oil sector following the military operation, Trump stated. “We possess the finest oil companies globally, the largest, the finest, and we will be significantly involved in that.”
Trump mentioned that his administration had not engaged with Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado. He dismissed the notion of her returning to lead Venezuela, stating: “She lacks the backing in Venezuela. She is a very nice woman, but she lacks support.”
Venezuela’s supreme court has mandated vice president Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president during Maduro’s absence.
When asked about Trump’s remark that the US would “run” Venezuela temporarily, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth remarked to CBS News: “President Trump establishes the terms … However, it signifies that the drugs must cease flowing. It indicates that the oil taken from us ultimately needs to be restored, and that criminals should not be dispatched to the United States.”
The UN security council is scheduled to convene for an emergency meeting on Monday.
UN secretary general, António Guterres, is reportedly alarmed by the US military activity in Venezuela, his spokesperson indicated, considering the US intervention to be “a hazardous precedent.”
The New York Times has reported that at least 40 individuals, including civilians and military personnel, were killed during Saturday’s operation. This estimate was provided by a senior Venezuelan official who wished to remain anonymous.
Global reactions have been coming in throughout the day. British prime minister, Keir Starmer, has faced pressure from opposition parties to denounce the US military action in Venezuela, but he has not yet done so. Former US vice president, Kamala Harris, posted on X criticizing the American actions in Venezuela as “unlawful and ill-advised” decisions that “do not enhance America’s safety, strength, or affordability.” North Korea has reportedly condemned the US’s capture of Nicolás Maduro as a “serious encroachment of sovereignty.” Spain, which houses the largest Venezuelan diaspora outside of the US, has denounced what they termed a transgression of international law.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to denounce the US actions in Venezuela “speaks volumes,” remarked Philippe Sands KC, an international law expert who acted as a prosecutor in the 1998 arrest of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in London. He stated: “The action against Venezuela is distinctly illegal by international law standards, and cannot be reasonably characterized as a law enforcement operation. What is the subsequent plan? One need only reflect on Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and Libya, among others, to foresee potential repercussions, and the encouragement this will surely offer to others to act with flagrant disregard for the international legal norms that govern us all. Equally troubling is the silence from others. The apparent inaction of the British prime minister is telling. Having experienced the catastrophes and criminality of the Iraq war in 2003, which Mr. Trump has himself condemned, I would hope that Keir Starmer adheres to the principles of legality to which he professes commitment.
Here are some images from the protest against the US strike on Venezuela, held outside the US embassy in Madrid this afternoon. A demonstrator holds a plastic jerrycan with a message that reads “The drugs of mass destruction.” Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters. A demonstrator holds a sign reading “down with the US imperialist aggression against Venezuela.” Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters.
Spain has criticized what it calls a breach of international law in Venezuela, as the country’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez conveyed in a letter sent to Socialist Party members. Reuters reports: Sanchez’s statements extended beyond his comments on Saturday in which he indicated he would not acknowledge the intervention. His letter condemned the “violation of international law in Venezuela, an act that we firmly denounce.” The Socialist’s hard-left coalition ally Sumar pressured the government to denounce the US strikes that precipitated the Venezuelan president’s apprehension, with party figures describing it as an act of imperialist piracy against a member state of the United Nations. Spain holds the largest Venezuelan migration populace outside of Latin America and the US, which includes senior opposition figures like Edmundo Gonzalez and Leopoldo Lopez. On Sunday, hundreds of left-wing demonstrators protested at the US embassy in Madrid to oppose Washington’s actions after thousands of opposition activists and others congregated at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Saturday to celebrate Maduro’s detention.
Updated at 14.53 GMT. Jillian Ambrose. The Guardian’s energy correspondent Jillian Ambrose has composed a beneficial explainer on the potential role the US could assume in Venezuela’s oil industry. Experts informed her that revitalizing production to previous levels may require decades and substantial investment. Under the new regime, US oil firms could emulate strategies employed in various developing countries by teaming up with the state oil firm, PDVSA, to explore and extract crude oil in exchange for a share of the profits. The precarious financial situation of PDVSA suggests that US companies might be able to negotiate favorable returns on their investments. However, even with a collective effort from the US president and some of the world’s largest oil companies, success is not assured.
Aram Roston. The newly unsealed federal indictment lodged against Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday immediately following his capture seems to adopt contentious allegations made by the Trump administration concerning a Venezuelan street gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), writes the Guardian’s senior political enterprise reporter Aram Roston. The updated indictment does not specify exactly what Maduro’s associations are with TdA. Instead, it asserts that Maduro and others “collaborated with narco-terrorists,” including TdA.
Celebrations and protests occur worldwide following US strikes on Venezuela – video. Venezuelans across the globe have rejoiced after the US government captured and ousted authoritarian president Nicolás Maduro. In recent years, millions of Venezuelans have left the nation due to a combination of pervasive shortages and severe political oppression. Following the dramatic news of the US operation, crowds gathered in nations such as Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, waving flags, singing, and rejoicing, while others assembled to denounce the US government’s actions against Venezuela and expressed opposition to military engagement. Here is some video showcasing the varied emotions on the streets: Celebrations and protests occur globally after Venezuela strikes – video.
Published: 2026-01-04 15:36:00
Source: www.theguardian.com
