Following the capture of Marxist leader Nicolas Maduro during a bombing attack on Caracas, President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the United States will “run” Venezuela and access its vast oil reserves.
Trump’s declaration was made just hours after Maduro and his wife were apprehended by special forces in a lightning-fast pre-dawn operation, during which airstrikes blasted locations in and around the capital city. Maduro was then taken out of the country.
Maduro landed at a US military base shortly after nightfall, then was transported by helicopter to New York City, where the couple will face drug trafficking and weapons charges.
Despite the success of the risky operation, what happens next is highly uncertain.
Trump said he was “designating people” from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela but gave no further details.
In another surprise, Trump indicated US troops could be deployed, saying Washington is “not afraid of boots on the ground.”
But he appeared to reject the possibility of the country’s opposition taking power and said he could work instead with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies… spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure,” Trump said. “We’ll be selling large amounts of oil.”
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