Planned United States control of Venezuela

On 3 January 2026, United States President Donald Trump stated the US plans to take over power in Venezuela until a later transition of authority, following the capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after strikes by the United States on his country earlier that day. The new Venezuelan President, Delcy Rodríguez, denied that the US was in control.

Background

U.S. involvement with Venezuelan oil industries

The history of U.S. involvement in Venezuela's petroleum industry dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, following significant oil discoveries in the 1920s. These discoveries propelled Venezuela into one of Latin America's strongest economies, though the nation experienced periods of instability due to fluctuating oil prices and governance challenges. Issues such as corruption and mismanagement, compounded by eventual U.S. economic sanctions, led to a decline in oil production from approximately 3.5 million barrels per day to 400,000 barrels in 2020.

In 2019, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), aiming to pressure President Nicolás Maduro to resign due to the political crisis in the country. In October 2023, the Biden administration temporarily lifted some sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gas, and gold industries in exchange for promises of political reforms, including the release of political prisoners and free elections in 2024. However, by April 2024, most sanctions were reimposed due to unmet commitments, although certain companies received individual licenses to continue operations in the oil sector.

Trump's comments

In a later press conference, Trump said: "We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." He indicated that the US may send troops to Venezuela as part of this. He also claimed that Marco Rubio had made contact with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, that she allegedly told Rubio, "We'll do whatever you need", and that she was gracious but "really doesn't have a choice". Trump said the action was an application of the Monroe Doctrine, where the U.S. declares any political influence by European powers in the Americas is against and hostile to U.S. interests. In his remarks, Trump styled it as the "Donroe Doctrine". Rodriguez described Maduro as Venezuela's "only president" and called for calm and unity to defend the country amid what she called Maduro's "kidnapping" ‍and said that Venezuela would never ‌be ​the colony of any nation."

Planned US oil company investment and possible future occupation

Trump said in the press conference that US oil companies would "go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country" and said the US was prepared to launch a second, much larger attack. He was open to US occupation of Venezuela that "won't cost us a penny", by being reimbursed from Venezuela's oil reserves.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was planning to establish a transitional government in Venezuela, while the New York Times reported the administration intended for Delcy Rodríguez to serve as acting president of Venezuela. Trump ruled out Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado‘s involvement in the political transition, claiming "I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country.“ According to Bloomberg News, officials in the administration believe that politically transitioning the country to Machado could cause further political instability due to possibly requiring U.S. military protection from domestic threats. The New York Times also explained that the Trump administration was prioritizing United States energy interests during the political transition. They believed that Rodríguez’s professional background, role as Minister of Petroleum, and alleged willingness to protect and promote U.S. energy interests made her preferable for leading a political transition.

See also

• American expansionism under Donald Trump
• Proposed United States invasion of Venezuela