US President Donald Trump has said the United States will take control of Venezuela and oversee its oil production following a military strike on the country and the removal of President Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, January 3, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said American oil companies would move in to revive Venezuela’s struggling energy sector.
According to him, Venezuela’s oil industry has been in decline for years, adding that major US oil firms would invest heavily to repair damaged infrastructure and restore production.
“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 oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump said.
His remarks came just hours after US forces reportedly captured President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a large-scale overnight operation in Venezuela. Both have been indicted on drug-trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York.
Trump further stated that the United States would effectively manage Venezuela during an interim period, saying the US would “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
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