US to Temporarily ‘Run’ Venezuela, Tap Oil Reserves After Nicolás Maduro’s Removal: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States would temporarily administer Venezuela and tap its vast oil reserves for sale to other nations, hours after a dramatic military operation removed President Nicolás Maduro from power and took him into US custody.

Calling the operation “extremely successful,” Trump said Washington would oversee Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power could be ensured. He said the US would also move to repair the country’s oil infrastructure and export “large amounts” of oil.

The operation marked the most forceful US action aimed at regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq and followed months of covert planning and pressure on the Maduro government. Legal experts and lawmakers immediately raised concerns over the absence of congressional approval for the military action.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized overnight from their residence on a Venezuelan military base and transported aboard a US warship. They were later flown to New York, where Maduro was taken into custody by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and transferred to Manhattan before being moved to a federal detention facility in Brooklyn. The Justice Department said Maduro would face trial under a revised indictment accusing him and his wife of leading a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

A video released by the White House showed Maduro smiling as he was escorted through a DEA office in handcuffs. Trump also posted an image of the deposed leader aboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Following Maduro’s removal, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of interim president, citing Maduro’s “material and temporary impossibility” to exercise his duties. Rodríguez, however, had earlier demanded Maduro’s release and described him as Venezuela’s rightful leader.

The military operation unfolded before dawn on Saturday, with explosions reported in Caracas and low-flying aircraft over the capital. Venezuelan authorities accused the US of striking civilian and military sites and said several Venezuelans were killed, without providing figures. Trump said some US personnel were injured but none killed.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine said US forces had rehearsed the mission for months. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong,” he said.

Despite Trump’s claims that the US was already helping run the country, Venezuelan state television continued broadcasting pro-Maduro programming. Protests erupted in parts of Caracas, while other areas remained largely deserted amid power outages.

The developments drew international concern, with the UN Security Council set to meet on Monday following an emergency request from Colombia. In the US, lawmakers from both parties questioned the legality of the action and demanded briefings on the administration’s legal justification and plans for regional stability.

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