The American President on Saturday during a press conference in Palm Beach. In the background: Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Image: keystone
At first it seemed as if the US was only interested in dictator Nicolás Maduro, who was indicted in New York. But now it is clear: the American president wants much more.
Jan 3, 2026, 8:33 p.mJan 3, 2026, 8:38 p.m
Renzo Ruf, Washington / ch media
American involvement in Venezuela does not end with the arrest of ruler Nicolás Maduro. Rather, the USA wants to “govern” the South American country now – and as a first step, get the lucrative oil industry back on track. US President Donald Trump announced this at a press conference on Saturday, nine hours after an American special force flew Maduro out of Caracas.
Trump gave little information about how Washington would govern the South American country with more than 30 million residents. “A group” will enable the transition from the Maduro regime to a democratically legitimate government, he said, pointing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. This transition phase will probably take some time, said Trump.
And the USA is ready to intervene again with armed force at any time – after all, there are dozens of American warships, soldiers and weapons systems in the Caribbean. Around 150 planes and helicopters are said to have taken part in the operation to arrest Maduro.
New ruler is not recognized by the West
Rubio, in turn, is said to have spoken to Maduro’s deputy Delcy Rodríguez on Saturday, who has reportedly already taken the oath of office as president. “She is basically prepared to do whatever we think is necessary to help Venezuela return to its former greatness,” Trump said.
Venezuela’s new president Delcy Rodríguez.Image: keystone
The 56-year-old has been a loyal follower of the regime that has ruled Venezuela for around 25 years. She has also served as oil minister since August 2024. Her whereabouts are currently unclear; However, the Reuters news agency reported on Saturday, citing four sources, that Rodríguez was in Russia.
In the eyes of most Western countries, however, the new president is not the legitimate ruler of Venezuela. They accuse her and Maduro of unlawfully remaining in power after the 2018 presidential election.
Rodríguez is also on the Seco (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) sanctions list in Switzerland. Federal Bern accuses her of undermining democracy in Venezuela and undermining the rule of law during the elections in 2018 and 2019. The de facto ruler of Venezuela is not allowed to enter Switzerland or cross our country; Swiss banks are also prohibited from entering into business relationships with it.
About María Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Trump simply said: He does not see her at the head of the country because she is neither sufficiently supported nor respected by the population. Trump did not mention the name of the legitimate winner of the 2024 presidential election – Edmundo González, who lives in exile in Spain – during the press conference.
The USA is interested in “good neighbors”.
That is significant. Trump doesn’t seem to care who will lead Venezuela in the future. His main concern is to quickly return to producing Venezuelan oil, as he himself said. To this end, his government will rely on the help of the large American energy companies; Chevron is currently the only oil multinational allowed to operate in Venezuela.
The US President also claimed that this goal was easily compatible with his motto “America First”. The USA is interested in being surrounded by “good neighbors” and living in stability. The American population also benefits from Venezuelan oil exports, although Trump repeatedly claims that thanks to his reform policies, the USA is no longer dependent on energy imports.
Anyway, the contradictions between Trump, the isolationist, and Trump, the ruler of the entire hemisphere, were evident at the press conference in Palm Beach (Florida), which lasted around 60 minutes. The American president initially claimed that the military operation in Venezuela actually only served the purpose of handing Maduro and his wife over to the local judiciary.
Maduro must answer in federal court
Pam Bondi, the Trump administration’s attorney general, previously a new indictment against the Venezuelan ruler, in which the investigating authorities described him as the head of a network of drug smugglers and gangs. Trump said the allegations against Maduro were “terrible” and “stunning,” despite the lack of concrete evidence to support the allegations in the 25-page indictment. Maduro was detained on the warship Iwo Jima on Saturday. In the next step, he will now be brought to New York, where his trial would then take place in a civilian federal court.
Nicolás Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores (r.) and Delcy Rodríguez in 2018. Image: keystone
But then Trump mainly talked about the oil in Venezuela and how America wanted to take back what rightfully belonged to the USA. He was probably referring to the nationalization of the Venezuelan oil industry under Maduro’s predecessor (and sponsor) Hugo Chávez around 20 years ago. At that time, the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) took over the majority of oil fields from large foreign companies. Trump said: “We built the entire industry” before one of his predecessors – he probably meant his old party opponent George W. Bush – did nothing to stop nationalization. Now we will get back what we lost back then, said Trump.