Trump Says U.S. Oversight of Venezuela Could Last for Years
On Wednesday evening, President Trump articulated his belief that the United States would oversee Venezuela’s governance and extract oil from its vast reserves for an extended period, asserting that the interim administration, composed entirely of former Maduro loyalists who are now imprisoned, is “providing us with everything we consider essential.” “Only time will tell,” he remarked when asked about the duration of the administration’s demand for direct oversight of the South American nation, amidst the looming threat of U.S. military action from an armada positioned offshore. “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Mr. Trump remarked during a nearly two-hour conversation. “We’re going to utilize oil, and we’re going to extract oil. We aim to decrease oil prices, and we’re going to provide Venezuela with funds, which they are in dire need of.” His comments followed a statement from administration officials asserting that the United States intends to take over the sale of Venezuelan oil indefinitely, part of a three-phase strategy that Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented to members of Congress. While Republican lawmakers have generally been supportive of the actions taken by the administration, Democrats reiterated their concerns on Wednesday that the United States is heading toward a prolonged international intervention without clear legal backing.
During the extensive interview with The New York Times, Mr. Trump did not specify how long the United States would maintain its role as Venezuela’s political overseer. Would it be three months? Six months? A year? Or longer? “I would say much longer,” was the president’s response. Throughout the discussion, Mr. Trump touched on various subjects including the deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis, immigration policies, the conflict in Ukraine, Greenland, NATO, his health status, and his plans for additional renovations at the White House.
Mr. Trump refrained from answering why he endorsed Mr. Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez as the new leader of Venezuela rather than supporting María Corina Machado, the opposition figure whose party successfully campaigned against Mr. Maduro in 2024 and recently received the Nobel Peace Prize. He did not respond when asked if he had been in contact with Ms. Rodríguez. “But Marco speaks to her all the time,” he said about the Secretary of State. Mr. Trump added: “I can assure you that we are in ongoing communication with her and the administration.” Additionally, Mr. Trump made no promises regarding the timing of elections in Venezuela, which had a longstanding democratic history from the late 1950s until Hugo Chavez assumed power in 1999.
Shortly after a group of four New York Times reporters initiated their discussion with him, Mr. Trump paused the interview to answer a call from President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, just days after he threatened to target Colombia due to its role as a cocaine producer. When the call connected, the president invited the Times reporters to stay in the Oval Office to listen to the conversation with the Colombian leader, with the condition that its contents remain confidential. He was accompanied in the room by Vice President JD Vance and Mr. Rubio, both of whom exited the room after the call ended. Following his discussion with Mr. Petro, Mr. Trump dictated a social media post to an aide stating that the Colombian president contacted him “to discuss the situation concerning drugs” emanating from rural cocaine production in Colombia and that Mr. Trump extended an invitation for him to visit Washington.
The call with Mr. Petro—lasting about an hour—seemed to alleviate any immediate concerns regarding U.S. military involvement, with Mr. Trump indicating that he believed the decapitation of the Maduro regime had instilled fear in other regional leaders to align themselves accordingly. During the lengthy conversation with The Times, Mr. Trump reveled in the success of the operation that breached the heavily-guarded compound in Caracas resulting in the capture of Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. He mentioned tracking the training of the teams involved in the operation, including building a life-sized replica of the compound at a military facility in Kentucky.
As the operation unfolded, Mr. Trump expressed concerns that it could turn into a “Jimmy Carter disaster, which destroyed his entire administration.” He referred to the failed April 24, 1980 mission to rescue 52 American hostages in Iran. An American helicopter collided with an aircraft in the desert, a tragedy that haunted Mr. Carter’s presidency but ultimately led to the formation of a more disciplined, well-trained special operations force. “I don’t know that he would have won the election,” Mr. Trump commented on Mr. Carter, “but he certainly had no chance after that disaster.” He juxtaposed the successful capture of Mr. Maduro, which presumably resulted in around 70 fatalities among Venezuelans and Cubans, to operations conducted under his predecessors that had not gone well. “You know you didn’t have a Jimmy Carter crashing helicopters all over the place, and that you didn’t have a Biden Afghanistan disaster where they couldn’t execute the simplest maneuver,” he said, referencing the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that led to the deaths of 13 American servicemembers.
Mr. Trump stated he had already begun to generate revenue for the United States by taking oil that had been under sanctions. He mentioned his Tuesday night announcement that the U.S. would procure 30 to 50 million barrels of heavy Venezuelan crude oil. However, he did not provide a timeline for that process and acknowledged that reviving the country’s neglected oil sector would take years. “The oil will take a while,” he noted. Mr. Trump seemed far more concentrated on the rescue operation than the details of how to maneuver Venezuela’s future. He declined to specify what scenarios would lead him to deploy American forces in the country. “I wouldn’t want to tell you that,” he stated.
Would he consider sending American troops if the Venezuelan government restricted access to the nation’s oil? Would he deploy them if Venezuela refused to expel Russian and Chinese personnel, as his administration has demanded? “I can’t tell you that,” Mr. Trump responded. “I truly wouldn’t want to disclose that, but they’re treating us with great respect. As you know, we’re maintaining a very positive relationship with the administration currently in place.” He sidestepped queries regarding why he opted not to appoint the individual the United States declared the winner of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, Edmundo González, who was essentially a proxy candidate for the lead opposition figure, Ms. Machado. He reiterated that Mr. Maduro’s allies are collaborating with the U.S., despite their antagonistic public remarks. “They’re providing us with everything that we consider essential,” he stated. “Don’t overlook, they expropriated the oil from us years ago.” He referred to the nationalization of facilities established by American oil firms. Mr. Trump has already begun discussions with U.S. oil executives about investing in Venezuela’s oil fields, though many are hesitant, concerned that the operations could falter once Mr. Trump leaves his position, or that Venezuela’s military and intelligence agencies may sabotage the effort since they would be excluded from the profits. Mr. Trump expressed his interest in visiting Venezuela in the future. “I think at some point it’ll be safe,” he declared.
Published: 2026-01-08 08:14:00
source: www.nytimes.com
