Trump Says US Will Run Venezuela in Interim: What We Know So Far

The U.S. president discussed several plans, including forming a team and ways U.S. oil companies could help revive the country’s economy.

US President Donald Trump, alongside (L/R) Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026. President Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP

President Donald Trump shared his plans for Venezuela on Jan. 3 during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, outlining what would happen next and who would lead the country after what he called an “extremely successful” U.S. military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power the night before.

The country’s decades-long socialist regime has now collapsed because of the U.S. operation. Trump made it clear that the United States will remain in control until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” to a new government in Venezuela is possible.