January 3, 2026 | Washington / Caracas — Dalena Reporters
In an unprecedented foreign policy announcement on Saturday, January 3, 2026, U.S. President Donald J. Trump declared that the United States will “run” Venezuela in the wake of a dramatic military operation that ousted and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, pledging American oversight “until a safe, proper, and judicious political transition” can be completed amid mounting international criticism.
Trump made the remarks during a high-profile press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, hours after U.S. forces launched coordinated strikes on strategic targets in Caracas and seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation described by U.S. officials as swift and effective with no American combat deaths reported also caused widespread power disruptions in parts of the Venezuelan capital early Saturday.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” Trump told reporters, framing the U.S. role as necessary to prevent what he characterized as a return to instability or leadership hostile to Venezuelan interests. He did not specify the precise mechanisms or timeline for U.S. governance, nor whether American military personnel would be permanently stationed in Venezuela.
The president indicated that U.S. oil companies would play a major role in rehabilitating Venezuela’s dilapidated energy infrastructure, a move he said would benefit the Venezuelan people and ensure economic stability. Trump also warned that U.S. forces were ready to undertake additional military actions if needed to secure transitional objectives.
Trump’s announcement followed claims from U.S. officials that Maduro is being transported to the United States to face federal charges, including drug trafficking and corruption, marking an extraordinary projection of U.S. power into the Western Hemisphere not seen since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
The declaration immediately drew a global outcry. World leaders and international organisations — including regional governments in Latin America, European states, and diplomatic bodies — sharply criticised the U.S. move as a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and international law, urging restraint and peaceful resolution. Adversarial governments, particularly in Russia and China, condemned the operation as unlawful aggression.
Domestically, Trump’s stance has fractured U.S. political opinion. Critics, including Democrats and constitutional scholars, argue that the president’s actions lack congressional authorisation and may represent an unconstitutional extension of executive war powers. Supporters in his party, however, defend the operation as a necessary step to dismantle what they describe as a corrupt and oppressive regime and to boost regional security.
Within Venezuela, the situation remains volatile. Delcy Rodríguez, appointed interim president, publicly rejected the U.S. actions and denounced them as illegitimate, underscoring deep internal divisions and resistance to foreign control.
Trump’s declaration that the United States will effectively oversee Venezuela until a political transition is realised marks a dramatic break from contemporary U.S. non-interventionist rhetoric and signals a bold, contentious chapter in American foreign policy with far-reaching implications for hemispheric stability and international norms.