Trump Admits The Capture Of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ‘Is About Oil’

Donald Trump said the United States will tap into Venezuela’s oil reserves after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In a press conference, Trump expressed his desire to “make lots of money” by tapping into the Venezuelan oil reserve. The announcement comes after the Trump administration’s claims that Madura is a narcotics trafficker which necessitated his removal from power. Yet, the quick shift from drug trafficking by President Maduro to the quantity of Venezuela’s oil is notable. According to US Energy Information Administration, the country is in possession of 303 billion barrels of crude oil. The amount makes the country the fifth highest reserve holder in the world.

“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 said at a news conference.

In addition to claims of liberating Venezuelans, subduing a “drug lord,” and improving the country’s infrastructure, Trump claims Venezuelan’s oil is a form of reimbursement. 

“We are going to have a presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil. We are going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground… It goes also to the US in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country,” he said. 

Trump did give specifics on how the Venezuelan oil assets would be managed or what agreements would be required with international partners. It is also unclear if international allies will align with Trump’s decision to capture a country’s head-of-state. Neither the White House nor the U.S. The Department of State announced any change in policy toward Venezuela following Trump’s comments.

Trump has previously called for aggressive use of energy resources and has frequently criticized U.S. sanctions policy toward Venezuela while arguing that access to foreign oil reserves could benefit U.S. interests.

Many leaders are speaking out in light of what many call an illegal mission as it was unapproved by Congress. 

In a post on X, Representative Jasmine Crockett criticized Trump’s stated ambition to “run” another country. She also points out that Congress should pay a role in deciding whether or not to invade a foreign nation. 

“‘We are going to run the country?!!’ Asking for Americans: Can you run the one you were elected to run?! Clearly, the President has decided that Congress is nothing more than a pesky accessory. This is ABOUT OIL!!!”