{"id":8871,"date":"2026-01-03T18:13:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T18:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/01\/03\/we-are-going-to-run-the-country-trump-says-u-s-will-govern-venezuela-until-theres-a-proper-transition-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T18:13:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T18:13:35","slug":"we-are-going-to-run-the-country-trump-says-u-s-will-govern-venezuela-until-theres-a-proper-transition-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/01\/03\/we-are-going-to-run-the-country-trump-says-u-s-will-govern-venezuela-until-theres-a-proper-transition-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We are going to run the country’: Trump says U.S. will govern Venezuela until there’s a ‘proper transition’ – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the U.S. will \u201crun\u201d Venezuela following a U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition\u201d to new leadership, Trump said during a press conference in Florida.<\/p>\n

The U.S. president added that he didn\u2019t want a new leader to take over in the wake of Maduro\u2019s capture that would result in \u201cthe same situation that we had for the last long period of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious, because that\u2019s what we\u2019re all about,\u201d Trump added. \u201cWe can\u2019t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn\u2019t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow live coverage<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s remarks came after he <\/strong>announced<\/a> <\/strong>early Saturday morning in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. had conducted strikes on Venezuela and captured Maduro and Flores.<\/p>\n

In a phone interview<\/a> with Fox News, the president confirmed that the Venezuelan president and first lady were en route to New York, where he said Maduro had been indicted.<\/p>\n

The U.S. action was a stunning culmination of months of increased threats from Trump and his administration toward the Venezuelan leader. Carried out without congressional authorization, it immediately received pushback and questions from lawmakers. And it now leaves the future of Venezuela uncertain.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Trump did not clarify what it would mean for the U.S. to \u201crun\u201d Venezuela but said that U.S. oil companies were prepared to make major investments in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The U.S. president added that the U.S. military was prepared to strike Venezuela again if needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so. So we were prepared to do a second wave if we need to do so,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n

After questions from reporters about whether the U.S. running Venezuela will involve military personnel on the ground, the president said, “We\u2019re not afraid of boots on the ground.” <\/p>\n

“We don\u2019t mind saying it, but we\u2019re going to make sure that that country is run properly. We\u2019re not doing this in vain,” he added.<\/p>\n

Trump said that it wouldn’t cost the U.S. anything to “run” Venezuela, pointing to the country’s oil production.<\/p>\n

“It won\u2019t cost us anything, because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial,” Trump said.<\/p>\n

Later, he added to reporters, “We\u2019re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused us by that country.”<\/p>\n

Minutes before he spoke, Trump posted on Truth Social a photo appearing to show Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima wearing an apparent blindfold and holding a bottle of water. Trump also posted a video of the U.S. strikes on Venezuela set to the song \u201cFortunate Son\u201d by Creedence Clearwater Revival.<\/p>\n

In a post on X<\/a>, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Venezuelan leader would \u201cface the full wrath\u201d of the U.S. justice system.<\/p>\n

The charges against Maduro, in an indictment unsealed Saturday, include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.<\/p>\n

In the indictment, federal prosecutors alleged that Maduro \u201cis at the forefront of that corruption and has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also allege that Maduro and other members of the Venezuelan government sold passports, provided protection and enabled the sale and transportation of hundreds of tons of illegal drugs through their ports, including drugs from several recognized Mexican drug cartels.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Trump said he had seen the evidence against Maduro that was gathered for the indictment, and he blamed the Venezuelan leader for drug trafficking and crime in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen what we have. It\u2019s both horrible and breathtaking that something like this could have been allowed to take place for many years after his term as president of Venezuela expired,\u201d the U.S. president said. \u201cMaduro remained in power and waged a ceaseless campaign of violence, terror and subversion against the United States of America, threatening not only our people, but the stability of the entire region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maduro was first indicted, alongside 14 others in 2020<\/a>, during Trump\u2019s first administration, in the Southern District of New York. The Venezuelan leader first came to power in 2013 and was sworn in to a third term<\/a> as president one year ago, despite evidence that Maduro did not win the preceding presidential election.<\/p>\n

Two U.S. officials familiar with the planning told NBC News on Saturday that the U.S. president approved the military and law enforcement actions in Venezuela more than a week ago.<\/p>\n

Trump told Fox News<\/a> in the phone interview that the strike was slated to happen four days ago, \u201cbut the weather was not perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had, you know, very good, a little bit few more clouds than we thought, but it was good,\u201d he added. \u201cWe waited four days. We were going to do this four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then all of a sudden it opened up, and we said go.\u201d<\/p>\n

In remarks Saturday after Trump\u2019s, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine confirmed that military forces waited over a week for the weather to clear up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeather in Venezuela is always a factor this time of the year, and over the weeks through Christmas and New Year\u2019s, the men and women of the United States military sat ready, patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met and the president to order us into action,\u201d Caine told reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night, the weather broke just enough, clearing a path that only the most skilled aviators in the world could maneuver through,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Caine said that Trump gave the order to go at 10:46 p.m. ET on Friday night and military forces arrived at Maduro\u2019s compound by 1:01 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. By 3:29 a.m. on Saturday morning, Caine said, the military forces were back over water with Maduro and Flores.<\/p>\n

For months, Trump has hinted at taking action in Venezuela, telling NBC News last month, \u201cI don\u2019t rule it out<\/a>,\u201d when asked about going to war with Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Days before that interview, the U.S. president announced a blockade of all \u201csanctioned\u201d oil tankers<\/a> entering and leaving Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Last month, the U.S. also seized two oil tankers<\/a> off the coast of Venezuela and the U.S. military continued its strikes<\/a> on boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

\"Nicolas<\/picture>
A photo released by the White House on Truth Social appears to show Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/span>via TruthSocial<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Friday, just a day before he was captured, Maduro said in an interview on Venezuelan state television<\/a> that he would be open to working with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. government knows, because we\u2019ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we\u2019re ready,\u201d the Venezuelan president said.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Politico<\/a> in early December, Trump reiterated claims that Maduro was overseeing a campaign to send drug dealers and criminals to the U.S. illegally and blamed President Joe Biden\u2019s administration for allegedly allowing them in.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Maduro] sent us millions of people, many from prisons, many drug dealers, drug lords, uh, mental institution … people in mental institutions. He sent them into our country, where we have a … where we had a very stupid president,\u201d Trump said at the time.<\/p>\n

On Saturday morning, Democratic lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for launching strikes on Venezuela, specifically pointing to the fact that the White House did not seek approval from Congress for the military action.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaduro is an illegitimate ruler, but I have seen no evidence that his presidency poses a threat that would justify military action without Congressional authorization,\u201d Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Saturday.<\/p>\n

In a separate statement, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said, \u201cTrump rejected our Constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict because the Administration knows the American people overwhelmingly reject risks pulling our nation into another war.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in a post on X<\/a>, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., wrote, \u201cWithout authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., slammed the military operation in a post on X, writing, \u201cTrump\u2019s actions are completely illegal and unconstitutional. His apparent justification of these acts as a mere law enforcement action is laughable and ignores the reality of the regime change he has just conducted without congressional authorization. This grave abuse of power that has put American troops in harm\u2019s way and threatens wider conflict in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the phone interview on Fox News late Saturday morning, Trump pushed back on Democrats\u2019 criticism, calling them, \u201cweak, stupid people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as last night is concerned, it was really genius. What they did is genius, and the Democrats, maybe they\u2019ll take a shot, you know? They\u2019ll take a shot. All they do is complain,\u201d the president added. \u201cThey should say, \u2018You know what, we did a great job.\u2019 … They do say, \u2018Oh, gee, maybe it\u2019s not constitutional.\u2019 You know, the same old stuff that we\u2019ve been hearing for years and years and years.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the press conference in Florida, Secretary of State Marco Rubio added, \u201cThis is not the kind of mission that you do congressional notification.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOn a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night, we watch them monitor that for a number of days. So it\u2019s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say, \u2018Hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.\u2019\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump added that congressional leaders were not notified in part because <\/strong>\u201cCongress has a tendency to leak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of Trump\u2019s allies on Capitol Hill defended his decision to execute the strikes and capture Maduro without congressional authorization.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s military action in Venezuela was a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives,\u201d Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration informed top lawmakers on the Senate and House intelligence committees about the U.S. military action to capture Maduro after the operation was underway, three sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.<\/p>\n

The Republican chairs and the Democratic ranking members on the congressional intelligence committees were notified about the operation, the sources said.<\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement Saturday that he had spoken to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and is expecting further briefings next week when the Senate returns from the holiday recess.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spoke to Secretary Rubio early this morning, and I look forward to receiving further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy when the Senate returns to Washington next week,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n

In early November, a bipartisan group of senators voted in favor of a measure<\/a> that would have required congressional approval for all future military action by the Trump administration in Venezuela. The measure fell short of the 50 votes needed for passage.<\/p>\n

The effort behind that measure came after the Trump administration began to publicize declassified videos of the military conducting kinetic strikes on boats<\/a> allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

One of those strikes, conducted in early September, faced renewed scrutiny later last year after reports emerged that it was a \u201cdouble tap\u201d strike<\/a> in which a second strike was conducted after the first strike yielded survivors.<\/p>\n

In early December, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the \u201cdouble tap\u201d strike was conducted in the \u201cfog of war<\/a>\u201c and that he \u201cdidn\u2019t personally see survivors,\u201d after the first strike.<\/p>\n

In October, Trump said the strikes were part of his administration\u2019s fight against drug cartels but stopped short of saying he\u2019d need a declaration of war to continue striking the boats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we\u2019re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK, we\u2019re gonna kill them. You know, they\u2019re gonna be like, dead,\u201d he said at the White House<\/a> at the time. <\/p>\n

Trump spoke about these claims again on Saturday, telling reporters in Florida, \u201cThe Maduro regime emptied out their prisons, sent their worst and most violent monsters into the United States to steal American lives, and they came from mental institutions and insane asylums. They came from prisons and jails.\u201d<\/p>\n

In October, the U.S. president confirmed<\/a> that he had authorized covert action by the CIA in Venezuela, but did not specify what the action was.<\/p>\n

A source with knowledge of the matter said Saturday that the CIA had a small, clandestine team on the ground in Venezuela starting in August that was able to provide \u201cextraordinary insight\u201d into Maduro\u2019s movements, which made capturing him \u201cseamless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Near the end of his press conference today, Trump called the situation in Cuba “similar” to that of Venezuela, responding to a question about potential military involvement with that nation.<\/p>\n

“Cuba is an interesting case. Cuba is, you know, not doing very well right now. That system has not been a very good one for Cuba. The people there have suffered for many, many years,” he said.<\/p>\n

The president added, “I think Cuba is going to be something we\u2019ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, a very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people. It\u2019s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n

Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n

Tom Winter is NBC\u2019s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n

Chloe Atkins reports for the NBC News National Security and Law Unit, based in New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Megan Shannon<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Sarah Dean<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Caroline Kenny<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Courtney Kube<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Monica Alba<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Dan De Luce<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Julie Tsirkin<\/p>\n

and <\/p>\n

Frank Thorp V<\/p>\n

contributed<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the U.S. will \u201crun\u201d Venezuela following a U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. \u201cWe\u2019re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition\u201d to new leadership, Trump […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}