Trump has released a first image that he said showed the captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro – Image: REUTERS
President Donald Trump said the US will control Venezuela until a political transition following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation.
What you need to know
- US President Trump says Venezuela will be ‘run’ by Washington until ‘safe’ transition
- Comments come after Venezuelan President Maduro captured by US forces
- Maduro has been indicted on ‘narco-terrorism conspiracy’ charges in the United States
- EU’s von der Leyen has stressed the bloc’s support for ‘peaceful, democratic transition’ in Venezuela
- UN chief Antonio Guterres says ‘dangerous precedent’ has been set
Rodriguez has become the de facto leader of Venezuela after President Maduro was taken by US forces [FILE: August 11, 2025] – Image: Juan Barreto/AFP
Maduro is Venezuela’s ‘only president’ his deputy Delcy Rodriguez says
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Nicolas Maduro is “the only president of Venezuela.”
Earlier, Donald Trump said Rodriguez had been sworn in as president.
“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again, very simple,” the US president added.
But in her television address, Rodriguez said Venezuela will never be the colony of any nation.
She called for the release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured and flown out of the country by US forces.
She also called for calm and unity to defend the country amid what she described as Maduro’s “kidnapping.”
WATCH: Trump says US to ‘run’ Venezuela after toppling Maduro
President Donald Trump says the United States will “run” Venezuela and access its oil reserves following the removal of Nicolas Maduro from the country in a rapid military operation.
Trump signals US may expand focus to Cuba
US President Donald Trump warned that Cuba would become part of Washington’s regional policy discussions, signaling that Washington’s focus may extend beyond Venezuela.
Cuba is a longtime adversary of the United States. Speaking at the same news conference as Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Havana should be concerned.
“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned,” he said.
In a separate warning, Trump told President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, one of his fiercest critics, to “watch his ass” after the US military operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Petro described Washington’s actions as an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke at the same news conference as Trump – Image: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
Trump questions Machado’s backing to lead Venezuela
US President Donald Trump said Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado does not have the “support or respect” to run Venezuela.
Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said he had not spoken to Machado following the operation.
Earlier, Machado said her opposition colleague Edmundo Gonzalez should assume the presidency.
Trump says US ‘will run’ Venezuela until ‘safe’ transition
President Donald Trump said the United States would run Venezuela after it “captured” President Nicolas Maduro, as it launched surprise airstrikes on multiple targets in the country.
“So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition, and it has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,” Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida
“We are there now…we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” he added.
He claimed the US presence was already in place, though there were no immediate signs that the they were running the country.
Trump said he does not fear deploying US troops in Venezuela.
“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” he said.
He offered few details about how the United States would oversee Venezuela.
Trump said he followed the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the US military live – Image: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
Trump: Watching Maduro capture was ‘like a television show’
The US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas took months of planning, General Dan Caine said.
“The word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission, an extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere,” Caine told a joint news conference with President Donald Trump.
Speaking earlier at the same news conference, Trump said he observed the operation at his Mar-a-Lago estate, “literally like I was watching a television show.”
He described it as a very complex maneuver and praised the units involved: “If you would have seen the speed, the violence … it was an amazing thing.”
Trump called it an “extremely successful operation,” adding that it “should serve as a warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”
Trump says US will have large oil companies go into Venezuela
President Donald Trump announced that major US oil companies will enter Venezuela following the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, he said they would “spend billions of dollars.”
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump told a press conference.
After the president’s address, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump was “deadly serious about getting back oil that was stolen from us.”
Trump posts picture of Maduro in US captivity
President Donald Trump has shared an image on his Truth social feed that he says shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in custody aboard the US warship USS Iwo Jima.
Trump said the Venezuelan leader is en route to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.
German Chancellor Merz urges orderly transition in Venezuela
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was careful not to condemn the US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in his first reaction, rather calling it a “complex” issue that will take time to review.
In a statement, Merz said Maduro has “led his country into ruin” and that the most recent election was “rigged.” Germany has not recognized Maduro’s presidency.
Merz accused Maduro of forming “unholy alliances worldwide” and involving Venezuela in the drug trade.
He did, however, add that relations between countries must follow the principles of international law and warned that political instability in Venezuela could worsen.
Merz said the priority now is to ensure an orderly transition “to a government legitimized by elections.”
German Foreign Ministry issues travel warning for Venezuela
A travel warning for the whole of Venezuela has been issued by the German Foreign Ministry and Germans in the country have been told to stay put in a safe spot.
The decision came after a crisis meeting was held. The ministry said it was “in close contact” with the embassy in Caracas.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the German government was watching the situation in the country.
“We call on all parties not to do anything that could lead to an intensification of the situation, and to look for ways to find a political settlement,” the spokesperson said.
DW.com/NAN 3-1-25
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