Trump vows US will 'run' Venezuela until 'safe' transition of power

President Donald Trump said the United States is "going to run the country" in Venezuela until what he described as a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place.

Trump framed the role as temporary but necessary, saying the U.S. does not want to allow "somebody else get in" before conditions are stable. He said the goal is peace, liberty and justice for Venezuelans, including those who have fled to the United States and hope to return home.

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said. 

He also warned the U.S. is prepared to escalate further if needed, saying, "We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack," and that American forces remain in position. "We're there now, and we're going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place," Trump said.

Trump spoke during a news conference Saturday hours after U.S. special forces bombed Caracas and captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, taking them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. 

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Trump said the U.S. plans to directly manage Venezuela alongside partners while rebuilding the country's oil sector. "We're going to be running it with a group, and we're going to make sure it's run properly," Trump said. "We're going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars. It'll be paid for by the oil companies directly … and we're going to get the oil flowing the way it should be." He said the U.S. would ensure Venezuelans are "taken care of," including those "forced out of Venezuela by this thug."

Pressed on whether U.S. forces would remain inside the country, Trump did not rule out a sustained troop presence. "They always say boots on the ground - so we're not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to," he said, confirming U.S. troops were already involved "at a very high level" during the operation. 

Trump repeated that the U.S. intends to stay and retain control, saying, "We're there now. We're ready to go again if we have to. We're going to run the country… very judiciously, very fairly." He added that the U.S. was prepared to launch another attack if necessary and accused Venezuela's former leadership of stealing American-built oil infrastructure, saying, "We're late, but we did something about it."

Asked whether the U.S. would back opposition leader Maria Corina Machado or work with Venezuela's newly sworn-in vice president, Trump signaled flexibility. He noted the vice president had been "picked by Maduro," but said U.S. officials were already engaging with her. "She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great," Trump said, adding that the issue was being handled directly by his team.

Trump continued, "She was quite gracious, but she really doesn't have a choice. We're going to have this done right. We're not going to just do this when they leave like everybody else, leave and say, you know, let it go to hell. If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back. We'll run it properly. We'll run it professionally. We'll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money. Use that money in Venezuela. And the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela."

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Trump was asked by another reporter, "Why is running a country in South America 'America first'?"

Trump replied: "We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We want to surround ourselves with stability. We want to surround ourselves with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It's very important that we protect it."

U.S. efforts to run or oversee political transitions in foreign countries have frequently encountered setbacks in recent years, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding Trump's approach to Venezuela.

The last time the U.S. intervened militarily to remove a leader in Latin America was in Panama in 1989, when American forces ousted dictator Manuel Noriega. While the operation succeeded quickly, it was followed by long-term challenges in stabilizing governance.

While the invasion quickly removed Manuel Noriega, it resulted in significant civilian harm. Estimates of civilian deaths vary widely, and entire neighborhoods - most notably El Chorrillo in Panama City - were heavily damaged, leaving thousands homeless. This complicated post-invasion stabilization and fueled lingering resentment among parts of the population.

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But after years of soaring hyperinflation that wiped out savings, hollowed out wages and fueled mass migration, some U.S. officials - and many Venezuelans - believe virtually anyone who comes to power would be better than Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelans inside the country and those who fled to the United States were seen celebrating in the streets during moments of heightened U.S. pressure, according to videos that circulated widely on social media.

Venezuelan opposition leaders Edmundo González Urrutia and his running mate Machado have positioned themselves as the alternative to President Nicolás Maduro, insisting they won last year's presidential election despite the government's declaration of Maduro as the victor.

Machado, who was barred from holding office by the Maduro-appointed high court, threw her support behind González as a unity candidate, while the opposition and several international observers rejected the official results as fraudulent.

González has since left Venezuela amid pressure from the Maduro government, while Machado's present whereabouts is unknown, urging continued domestic and international pressure to force a political transition.

After the capture, Machado called on Venezuela's armed forces to recognize opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the country's "legitimate president" and commander-in-chief, while declaring the opposition is prepared to "assert our mandate and take power." In a defiant statement, she said "the hour of freedom has arrived," argued President Nicolás Maduro now faces international justice, and urged Venezuelans at home and abroad to mobilize as what she described as the final phase of a democratic transition.

Asked about the U.S.'s track record of ousting dictators, Trump replied: "That's when we had different presidents. . . . That's not with me. We've had a perfect track record of winning. We win a lot and we win. If you look at Soleimani, you look at al-Baghdadi, you look at the Midnight Hammer, Midnight Hammer was incredible. . . . So, with me, you've had a lot of a lot of victory. You've had only victories, you've had no losses yet."