Trump says US could run Venezuela and its oil for years

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States could run Venezuela and its oil reserves for years, days after US forces removed the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.

“Only time will tell” how long Washington would require direct oversight, Trump told The New York Times. When asked whether that meant three months, six months, or a year, he replied: “I would say much longer.”

The 79-year-old president also expressed a desire to visit Venezuela. “I think at some point it'll be safe,” he said.

US special forces captured Maduro and his wife in a surprise raid on Saturday, flying them to New York to face drug and weapons charges—a move Trump framed under his so-called “Donroe Doctrine” of US dominance in the region.

Since the operation, Trump has insisted that the United States will “run” Venezuela, even though no American troops remain stationed there.

Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, said no foreign power is governing her country.

“There is a stain on our relations such as had never occurred in our history,” she said of the US attack. She added that trade with the United States is now “not unusual or irregular,” after PDVSA announced negotiations to sell crude to the US.

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, making petroleum central to Washington’s influence. Trump unveiled a plan this week for the US to sell 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, with Caracas using the proceeds to buy US-made products.