Trump says US is ‘going to run’ Venezuela, plans to sell oil to other countries

President Donald Trump says the United States is "going to run" Venezuela with a “group” and did not rule out the possibility of US troops, as he vowed to fix Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and said the US plans to sell it to other countries.

“We’re in the oil business. We’re going to sell it to them,” Trump said during the news conference.

The oil companies will pay for the rebuilding of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, Trump said.

He was addressing a news conference on the strikes in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Accompanying the US president were Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon chief; Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Stephen Miller, a top White House aide overseeing homeland security matters.

Trump said that the US will be running Venezuela

“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” Trump said.

He added: “We’re going to make sure the country is run properly.”

Across the Venezuelan capital, there were no signs that the US had taken over control of Venezuela’s government or military forces.

The Miraflores Palace and military bases remained guarded by Venezuela’s armed forces.

When asked what would happen if the US ends up administering Venezuela for years, Trump suggested that the US would use revenues from oil sales to pay for running the country, saying, “The money coming out of the ground is very substantial.”

“We’re going to get reimbursed for everything that we spend,” he said.

The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about how the US, would run Venezuela, what authority it would use to administer it or whether it would involve any American personnel — either civilian or military — on the ground in Caracas or other areas of Venezuela.

Meanwhile, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed a “meticulously planned” operation that he said had been months in the making, crafted to minimize harm both to Maduro and his wife, as well as civilians.

Through the holiday weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, Caine said service members watched and “sat ready” for the order, which the general said could come only once weather conditions improved Friday night.

“Last night the weather broke just enough, clearing a path that only the most skilled aviators in the world could move through,” Caine said, noting that helicopters flew low to the water to enter Venezuela, covered above by protective US aircraft.

Caine, the president’s top military advisor, said that more than 150 aircraft from 20 different bases were involved in the surprise, overnight attack on Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro.

Caine said the aircraft included F-22, F-35, and F-18 fighter jets as well as B1 bombers and other support aircraft, “as well as numerous remotely piloted drones.”

Caine said that the mission of the aircraft was to provide cover for the helicopters that acted as the “extraction force” with the goal of capturing Maduro and his wife.

“There were multiple self-defence engagements as the force began to withdraw out of Venezuela,” Caine said.

He also said that the military chose “the right day to minimize the potential for civilian harm and maximize the element of surprise.”

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