President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States will take control of Venezuela’s long-mismanaged oil sector, following the stunning capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The narco-tyrant, who has turned the once-prosperous nation into a hellhole of drugs, corruption, and poverty, was nabbed in a pinpoint U.S. operation that’s already being hailed as a masterstroke against global criminal networks.
The Venezuelan regime issued a statement rejecting the “military aggression” and invoking the UN Charter. They claim it’s all about seizing oil and minerals after Maduro wrecked it all.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely grave military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population in the civilian and military districts of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, particularly its Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of States, and the prohibition on the use of force.
Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people in grave danger.
The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force. They will not succeed.
After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.
The attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a “regime change,” in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail just like all previous attempts. Since 1811, Venezuela has faced and defeated empires.
When in 1902 foreign powers bombarded our coasts, President Cipriano Castro proclaimed: “The insolent boot of the foreigner has profaned the sacred soil of the Fatherland.” Today, with the moral fortitude of Bolívar, Miranda, and our liberators, the Venezuelan people rise once again to defend their independence against imperialist aggression.”
Speaking from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, President Trump said the chaos and corruption that have defined Venezuela for decades will not be allowed to repeat itself.
When pressed on who, exactly, would be running Venezuela, Trump made it clear the U.S. will oversee the process with a coordinated team.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez stepped in after Maduro’s arrest, and Trump confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already spoken with her.
But here’s the real game-changer: Trump vowed to reclaim Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, which Maduro and his cronies squandered into oblivion after years of socialist mismanagement.
Trump: “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust—a total bust—for a long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping and what could have taken place.
We’re going to have our very large United States oil company—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.
[…]
This partnership of Venezuela with the United States of America—a country that everybody wants to be involved with because of what we were able to do and accomplish—will make Venezuela rich, independent, and safe.”
Vice President JD Vance defended the operation on X, writing:
“The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says.”
The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says.
Kudos to our brave… pic.twitter.com/b1fqkdbB4x
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
Back in December, Trump had long argued that U.S. companies were illegally expelled from Venezuela and that America has a rightful claim to the oil assets seized by the Maduro regime.
WATCH:
Trump speaking about Venezuela on December 18, 2025:
They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there. They threw our companies out. And we want it back. pic.twitter.com/mWH6zZeoNJ
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 3, 2026
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at around 303 billion barrels, exceeding those of Saudi Arabia and holding roughly 17% to 20% of the world’s total supply. This puts it ahead of other major oil-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Despite having the largest reserves, Venezuela’s actual oil production has significantly declined due to years of mismanagement, lack of investment, and international sanctions. As of late 2025, it contributed only about 1.3% of global oil production.
International courts ruled that Venezuela unlawfully seized assets from ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips without providing fair compensation.
In 2007, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez forced foreign oil companies to cede majority control to the state. Many companies (like Chevron) stayed and negotiated deals. However, when U.S. giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips refused, their assets were expropriated.
International arbitration courts (like the World Bank’s ICSID) ruled that Venezuela’s actions were unlawful expropriation because the government did not pay fair compensation.
They ordered Venezuela to pay ConocoPhillips ~$8.7 billion and ExxonMobil ~$1 billion. However, Venezuela never repaid the debt.
As a result, the US is currently seizing Venezuelan government assets like CITGO, a US-based refiner owned by Venezuela’s state oil company (PDVSA), and capturing oil tankers at sea to force repayment and pressure the regime.
Of course, the socialist squad couldn’t resist chiming in with their America-last hysterics. AOC, the queen of hypocrisy, ranted on X:
“It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month. It’s about oil and regime change. And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”
Then there’s Bernie Sanders, the eternal socialist grifter, spewing his usual anti-American drivel:
“Donald Trump has, once again, shown his contempt for the Constitution and the rule of law. The President of the United States does NOT have the right to unilaterally take this country to war, even against a corrupt and brutal dictator like Maduro. The United States does NOT have the right, as Trump stated this morning, to “run” Venezuela. Congress must immediately pass a War Powers Resolution to end this illegal military operation and reassert its constitutional responsibilities.
Trump’s attack on Venezuela will make the United States and the world less safe. This brazen violation of international law gives a green light to any nation on earth that may wish to attack another country to seize their resources or change their governments.
This is the horrific logic of force that Putin used to justify his brutal attack on Ukraine.
Trump and his administration have often said they want to revive the Monroe Doctrine, claiming the United States has the right to dominate the affairs of the hemisphere. They have spoken openly about controlling Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.
This is rank imperialism. It recalls the darkest chapters of U.S. interventions in Latin America, which have left a terrible legacy. It will and should be condemned by the democratic world.
Trump campaigned for president on an “America First” platform.
He claimed to be the “peace candidate.” At a time when 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, when our healthcare system is collapsing, when people cannot afford housing, and when Al threatens millions of jobs, it is time for the president to focus on the crises facing this country and end this military adventurism abroad. Trump is failing in his job to “run” the United States. He should not be trying to “run” Venezuela.”
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