Trump says U.S. will "run" Venezuela following capture of Maduro

A screen shot taken from a video released by the White House shows U.S. President Donald Trump holding a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, the United States, Jan. 3, 2026. U.S. raid "a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas" to capture Maduro -- Trump (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States will "run" Venezuela after the U.S. military raided the country and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are being transported to New York.

"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida.

"We don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country," he said.

"We're there now. We're going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place," Trump added, offering no timeline for how long such a transition of power is expected to take.

He later said top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, would work with a team to help run Venezuela.

Trump refused to rule out the possibility of further U.S. military involvement. "We're not afraid of boots on the ground," he said.

Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the press conference that the U.S. troops will remain in the region following large-scale strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro.

"As we stand here this morning, our forces remain in the region at a high state of readiness, prepared to project power, defend themselves and our interests in the region," Caine said.

Asked about a possible U.S. military presence in Venezuela during the transition period, Trump said: "No, we're going to have a presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil because we're sending our expertise. You may need something, not very much."

Trump said he plans to authorize U.S. oil giants to take over and invest in Venezuela's energy infrastructure and "start making money for the country," adding that the embargo on all Venezuelan oil "remains in full effect."

"Very importantly, the embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect. The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied," said Trump.

"We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground. That wealth is going to the people of Venezuela and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela," Trump claimed. "It goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country."

By raiding Maduro and launching months of military pressure campaign, Trump said his administration has "superseded" the Monroe Doctrine laid out in the early 19th century.

A number of "No War on Venezuela" protests are planned for Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York and other cities across the United States later on Saturday.

"We need to take to the streets and say no to another endless war! The people of this country do not want another war! A U.S. war would cause death and destruction for the people of Venezuela," the Answer Coalition, one of the organizers, said in a news release.

The latest U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of Maduro have drawn worldwide condemnation and concern.

Shortly after the strike started, the Venezuelan government denounced the "military aggression" by the United States, adding that the strike targeted civilian and military sites in at least four states of the country.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply alarmed by the U.S. military actions, his spokesperson said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect -- by all -- of international law, including the UN Charter. He's deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected," said the statement issued by spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

A screen shot taken from a video released by the White House shows U.S. President Donald Trump holding a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, the United States, Jan. 3, 2026. U.S. raid "a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas" to capture Maduro -- Trump (Xinhua)