Trump Outlines His Vision for Venezuela
Speaking to the New York Post on Sunday, Trump dismissed comparisons to Iraq or Afghanistan, rejecting fears that Washington could be drawn into another prolonged conflict. He described the intervention as a rescue mission for “literally a third world country ready to fail” after decades under socialist governance.
“We should run the country properly,” Trump said. “We should run the country with law and order. We should run the country where we can take advantage of the economics of what they have – which is valuable oil and valuable other things.”
On the same day, Venezuela’s Supreme Court directed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume the presidency, citing the need to ensure “continuity of the State” and “defense of sovereignty.”
Rodriguez confirmed she had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but characterized the exchange as a matter of national dignity. Caracas, she said, seeks “respectful relations” with Washington, while vowing Venezuela “will never return to being the colony of another empire” and “never return to being slaves.”
Trump, however, issued a stark warning. Referring to Rodriguez after Maduro’s detention in New York, he told The Atlantic: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
The president made clear that elections are not on his immediate agenda. “Don’t ask me who’s in charge, because I’ll give you an answer, and it’ll be very controversial... It means we’re in charge,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday.
Trump also rejected backing opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who had publicly supported U.S. military involvement against her own government.
The intervention has triggered sharp backlash across the Global South. China denounced the move as “hegemonic,” accusing Washington of violating international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the operation “cross an unacceptable line.” Meanwhile, Russia voiced “firm solidarity” with Caracas during a call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and acting President Rodriguez.
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