President Trump says US will ‘run’ Venezuela after capturing Maduro, but plans remain vague, focusing on oil and working with former VP Rodriguez.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump says the United States is “in charge” of Venezuela following a military operation that captured leader Nicolas Maduro.
Trump ordered an assault on Caracas where US forces seized the leftist leader and took him to face charges in New York.
The president stated the US will temporarily “run the country,” which has 30 million people and a shattered economy.
Preparations for governing appear minimal, with the US embassy closed and no known ground forces, as Trump said his cabinet will call the shots.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio later clarified, saying “It’s not running — it’s running policy.”
Trump said the priority is to benefit US oil companies in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven reserves.
The US claims cooperation with Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, whom Trump threatened with another attack if she disobeys.
Trump brushed aside opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado, with Rubio saying the US was focused on “our national interest.”
Trump said Machado is a “very nice woman” but lacks the “respect” to run the country.
Analyst Mark Jones said Trump sees lower risks in working with Rodriguez than installing Machado with a massive US military presence.
Rodriguez initially denounced Maduro’s capture but quickly promised cooperation with the United States.
Ryan Berg said Rodriguez will struggle to balance outrage with implementing pro-US policies against 27 years of anti-US sentiment.
Jones noted Rodriguez was vice president precisely because Maduro did not see her as an internal threat.
US success will also require support from key figures like military chief Vladimir Padrino Lopez, according to analysts.
Some US demands, like controlling drug trafficking, may be easy for Rodriguez’s government to accept.
Other demands, such as breaking ties with Cuba, would contradict the core ideology of Hugo Chavez’s Bolivarian Revolution.
“That group is going to resist with all its might, because the idea of Venezuela becoming some vassal state of the United States is pretty much the antithesis,” Jones said.
