Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela and extract its oil 'for years'

President Trump told The New York Times in a wide-ranging Oval Office interview that he expects the United States will be running Venezuela and extracting oil from its reserves for years. He said the interim Venezuelan government — described in the interview as former loyalists to the now‑imprisoned Nicolás Maduro — is "giving us everything that we feel is necessary," and added, "Only time will tell" when asked how long U.S.

oversight would last. Mr. Trump said, "We will rebuild it in a very profitable way," and that "we're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil," referring also to an announcement that the United States would obtain 30 to 50 million barrels of heavy Venezuelan crude. Administration officials have told members of Congress the United States plans to effectively assume control of selling Venezuela's oil indefinitely as part of a three‑phase plan Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined, a move that Republican lawmakers have largely supported while Democrats warned it risks a protracted international intervention without clear legal authority.

Mr. Trump declined to give a precise timeline for how long the U.S. would remain in control, did not commit to when elections would be held, and would not say what might prompt American forces to go on the ground. The interview was paused for a roughly hour‑long call with Colombian President Gustavo Petro that appeared to ease any immediate threat of U.S.

military action; Mr.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, Venezuela, Venezuelan Crude, Nicolás Maduro, Marco Rubio