Trump: "Direct U.S. Governance of Venezuela Until Power Transition"

Hints at Possibility of U.S. Military Presence

On January 3 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would govern Venezuela until a stable transfer of power is completed following the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

On the 3rd (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump posted a photo of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on the social networking service (SNS) Truth Social that he created. President Trump claimed that Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces on the same day, was aboard the U.S. military assault ship Iwo Jima. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

At a press conference held at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida that day, President Trump stated, "We will run Venezuela until a safe, appropriate, and wise transition of power is possible." He added, "We cannot allow other forces that do not consider the Venezuelan people to seize power," and emphasized, "We will remain until a proper transfer is achieved."

This indicates an intention to deploy and maintain U.S. military forces near Venezuela and assume interim governance. President Trump also said, "We will operate the country together with a group."

President Trump further stated that he understands Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has succeeded to the presidency and that she has expressed willingness to cooperate with U.S. demands.

When asked about the possibility of deploying U.S. ground troops to Venezuela, President Trump replied, "I am not afraid," thereby not ruling out the possibility of a U.S. military presence during the transitional period. He continued, "The U.S. fleet is standing by at its current position (off the coast of Venezuela), and the United States has all military options available." He warned, "Until U.S. demands are fully met, Venezuelan politicians and military leaders must recognize that what happened to Maduro could happen to them as well."

Regarding the economic sector, President Trump said, "Large American oil companies will enter Venezuela and invest billions of dollars to restore the severely damaged oil infrastructure," and added, "They will make money for the country."

He also suggested that strengthening U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere is one of the motivations behind these actions. President Trump emphasized, "We will never allow external forces to plunder the American people or push the United States out of the Western Hemisphere," and stated, "Under the new National Security Strategy (NSS), American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be in doubt."

Earlier that morning, the United States attacked the area around Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and captured the anti-American President Maduro. President Trump announced that Maduro and his wife, who were indicted by U.S. prosecutors in 2020 on charges of 'narco-terrorism,' are being extradited to New York, and that the trial will take place either in New York or Miami.