President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, January 3, 2026, that major U.S. oil companies will be allowed to enter Venezuela to rebuild the country’s oil infrastructure, as part of an unprecedented U.S.-led operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump described Maduro’s leadership as “both horrible and breathtaking” and said the United States would play a central role during Venezuela’s transition period.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump said American energy firms — described as “very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world” — would be invited to spend billions of dollars repairing Venezuela’s “badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure.” The president argued that revitalizing the country’s vast oil industry could generate revenue for Venezuela and help stabilize its struggling economy.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump said, indicating that U.S. involvement would help return Venezuelan oil production closer to its historical potential.
The announcement came after a dramatic U.S. military operation early Saturday, in which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were reportedly captured and flown out of Caracas, with Trump later sharing a photograph of Maduro in custody aboard the USS Iwo Jima. The president said the military was prepared for a second, larger wave of attacks if necessary, though he suggested that additional strikes would probably not be needed given the outcome of the initial operation.
Trump indicated that, in the immediate term, the United States would “run” Venezuela until it could oversee a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power. He framed the U.S. role as temporary but crucial, emphasizing that Washington did not want “somebody else” to take control of the country under uncertain circumstances. Specific legal or political mechanisms for how the United States would administer Venezuela during this transitional period were not fully detailed, and it remains unclear under what authority the U.S. would govern or influence domestic affairs there.
Trump argued that the U.S. intervention was intended to ensure peace, liberty and justice for the Venezuelan people, including those Venezuelans living in the United States who want to return to their homeland. He also reaffirmed that the existing U.S. embargo on Venezuelan oil would remain in place for now, even as American firms are positioned to invest in rebuilding efforts.
The president’s remarks have sparked intense global debate about U.S. foreign policy and international law. Several nations, including China, Brazil and members of the United Nations, condemned the U.S. strikes as a serious violation of sovereignty. Legal experts have questioned the authority under which the United States is conducting its interim governance and reconstruction plans.
Analysts have pointed out that Venezuela’s oil industry, once one of the most productive in the world, has suffered years of economic decline, mismanagement, and underinvestment — a situation Trump highlighted in his remarks. Rebuilding the sector is expected to require vast capital and could take years to normalize production, even with U.S. involvement.
Overall, Trump’s announcement signals a major shift in U.S. engagement in Latin America, combining military action with economic and energy-sector ambitions, and sets the stage for an uncertain transition period in Venezuela with deep implications for regional stability, global energy markets, and international diplomacy.
