US involvement in Venezuela could last years – Trump

United States President, Donald Trump, has said the United States’ involvement in Venezuela could last for years following the removal of ousted President Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking to the New York Times, Trump said “only time will tell” how long his administration would “oversee” the South American country after US forces seized Maduro during a raid on Saturday.

The president did not say if or when elections would be held to replace the interim government led by Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodríguez.

Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado, however, said Maduro’s removal had triggered an “irreversible process” that would make Venezuela “free”.

Trump made the remarks while responding to questions from New York Times journalists days after announcing that his administration would run the oil-rich nation.

Earlier on Wednesday, the White House said the US would control sales of sanctioned Venezuelan oil “indefinitely”. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the move was needed to give Washington leverage over the interim government in Caracas.

Trump said his administration would be “taking oil” from Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but admitted it would “take a while” to revive the country’s struggling oil industry.

Venezuela’s oil output has declined sharply due to years of mismanagement under the Maduro government and his predecessor, as well as prolonged US sanctions.

Trump also told the NYT that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was “in constant communication” with Rodríguez, who was named interim leader by Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which is dominated by Maduro loyalists.

He said Rodríguez was “giving us everything that we feel is necessary” and added that the interim government had agreed to use oil revenues to purchase only US-made goods.

According to NYT reporters, Trump declined to explain why he recognised Rodríguez as Venezuela’s new leader.

Many analysts had expected the fall of Maduro to be followed by the swift return of opposition leaders Edmundo González and Machado. However, Trump was dismissive of Machado during his first news conference after the raid, claiming she lacked the “respect” and support to govern.

“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” he said.

Machado had united opposition groups ahead of the 2024 presidential election but was barred from running by officials loyal to Maduro. She later backed former diplomat González as her proxy.

Although the electoral council declared Maduro re-elected, opposition vote tallies independently verified showed González won by a landslide. González later went into exile, while Machado went into hiding inside Venezuela.

In December, Machado travelled through land, sea and air to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights” in Venezuela. Her current whereabouts are unknown, but she has said she plans to return soon.

In an interview with opposition news site La Patilla, Machado said Maduro’s removal had placed Venezuela on an irreversible path to freedom. She expressed hope that the transition would be “as short and swift as possible”.

She described the interim government as “the same regime it was under Maduro” and said it was “being given instructions to dismantle itself”.

Machado maintained that González was the legitimate president-elect and called for his mandate to be respected, stressing that “the first thing” needed was the release of political prisoners.

More than 800 political detainees are believed to be held in Venezuela’s prisons. On Wednesday, Republican lawmaker María Elvira Salazar called for their release “immediately”.

However, the NYT reporters said Trump “appeared far more focused on the rescue mission than the details of how to navigate Venezuela’s future”.

When asked about US plans for the country, Trump said “we will rebuild it in a very profitable way”.

He added: “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”

Trump is expected to meet executives from three major US oil companies at the White House on Friday.

Meanwhile, the US Senate voted 52–47 on Thursday to advance a resolution aimed at blocking further US military action in Venezuela.

The move allows debate under the War Powers Act and marks the first time during Trump’s second term that the Senate has voted to limit his use of military force.

The resolution remains largely symbolic, as it must still pass the House and could be vetoed by the president.