He does not rule out a second attack or military presence if Venezuelan authorities “don’t behave”
US President Donald Trump has asserted that his administration is now “in charge” of Venezuela and emphasized that his priority is to “fix” the country, especially its oil industry, rather than forcing an election or the release of political prisoners, issues he avoided addressing less than 48 hours after the military operation in which Washington captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“We are in charge” of Venezuela, the Republican magnate responded when asked who was leading the country after the designation of the now former Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy RodrÃguez, as acting president following Maduro’s capture.
Regarding her, Trump said that the United States needs “full access (…) to the oil and other things in their country” to “rebuild it,” while if she were to oppose the White House’s plans, she “will face a situation probably worse than Maduro’s.”
He also stressed that US forces will carry out “a second attack” if the remaining Venezuelan executive branch “doesn’t behave,” and he also avoided ruling out a military presence in the Latin American country, a decision that “depends a little on the new administration, so to speak.”
“We have to do one thing in Venezuela: take it back. It’s a dead country right now,” the US president emphasized, arguing that Venezuela “has been terribly mismanaged” and that “oil is flowing at a very low level.” “It should have more revenue, more oil,” he added, suggesting that “large investments from oil companies to rebuild the infrastructure” are needed to reverse the situation.
According to Trump, “the infrastructure is rusty, rotten; most of it is unusable.” “It’s old. It’s broken,” he insisted, noting that although those in charge at the US oil company Chevron’s facilities “have done a good job,” they haven’t been able to invest enough. In this regard, he noted that “the companies are ready to go in” and that they are “very eager.” “They’re going to represent us well,” he added.
Regarding Venezuelan crude oil reserves, which he described as “much more” than 17 billion barrels after a journalist suggested that figure, the U.S. president assured that the United States would manage “everything.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated that, in addition to oil reserves, Venezuela has steel, aluminum, and “all the critical minerals.” “They have a great mining history that has deteriorated,” he emphasized, describing Venezuela’s natural resources as “a wealth that once belonged to one of the world’s great economies and cultures, and it was destroyed, and now President Trump is going to fix it and restore it.”
“It’s not easy. It’s really bad, but it has potential,” the White House occupant clarified.
During his appearance, Trump was asked both when elections might be held in Venezuela and whether he would demand that Delcy RodrÃguez allow the return of the opposition or release political prisoners, but he clarified that this is not his priority. “We’ll focus more on fixing it (the country),” he replied to the first question. “We haven’t gotten to that yet,” he answered the second.
