Hours after a military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power and took him out of the country, US President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would temporarily run Venezuela and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. The move followed months of pressure by the Trump administration on the South American country and its leader, culminating in what officials described as an assertive effort to force regime change. Speaking to reporters after Maduro's capture, Trump said Washington would exploit the leadership vacuum to "fix" Venezuela's oil infrastructure and sell "large amounts" of oil abroad. He later said the United States would help govern the country until a transition could be arranged. "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, calling the operation "extremely successful" and warning it should serve as a deterrent to threats against US sovereignty or lives. Venezuela's vice president, in a televised address, demanded that the United States free Maduro and described him as the country's rightful leader. Maduro and his wife were seized overnight from their home on a military base and taken aboard a US warship en route to New York, where they are expected to face prosecution under a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. The legal authority cited for the operation was not immediately clear. The Trump administration said the action, along with earlier deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea, was necessary to stem the flow of illegal drugs. Trump also claimed the US government was already helping to run Venezuela, though there were no immediate signs of a transfer of control. Venezuelan state television continued to broadcast pro-Maduro programming, including live images of supporters protesting in the streets of Caracas. Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were first indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges. The Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, describing the government as corrupt and illegitimate and alleging it was sustained by drug trafficking that sent cocaine into the United States. The US government does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader. Trump later posted a photograph on social media showing Maduro wearing a sweatsuit and a blindfold aboard the USS Iwo Jima. The operation followed a monthslong US pressure campaign that included a buildup of American forces off South America and attacks on vessels accused of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. US intelligence agencies were also linked to a recent drone strike on a docking area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, marking the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since strikes began in September. — Agencies
