US President Donald Trump said the United States is not at war with Venezuela and will not push for elections there in the near term, arguing that the country must first be stabilised and its infrastructure rebuilt following the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro. Meanwhile, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Trump said Venezuela would not hold elections in the next 30 days, saying conditions on the ground made voting unrealistic. “We have to fix the country first,” Trump said. “You can’t have an election if people can’t even vote.”
Trump said Washington’s focus is on restoring basic order and rebuilding the economy. “We have to nurse the country back to health,” he said, indicating that the transition would take time.
The president said US oil companies could play a central role in rebuilding Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, an effort he suggested could take less than 18 months. He said the United States may subsidise part of the effort, but insisted that oil companies would ultimately bear the costs and recover their investments.
“A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue,” Trump said.
Trump rejected claims that the United States is engaged in a war with Venezuela. “No, we’re not,” he said. “We’re at war with people that sell drugs. We’re at war with people that empty their prisons into our country and empty their drug addicts and empty their mental institutions into our country.”
He said responsibility for Venezuela’s collapse lay with its leadership, which he accused of exporting crime and instability. Maduro was seized during a US raid in Caracas and later arraigned in New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
Trump said Rodríguez has been cooperating with US officials but denied there was any communication between Washington and her camp before Maduro’s removal.
“No, that’s not the case,” Trump said, adding that a determination would soon be made on whether sanctions against Rodríguez would remain in place.
Asked who is ultimately in charge of Venezuela, Trump gave a one-word answer: “Me.”
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been deeply involved in communications with Venezuela’s leadership, noting that Rubio “speaks to her fluently in Spanish” and that their “relationship has been very strong.”
Trump also said the United States is prepared to launch a second military incursion if cooperation breaks down, though he said he does not believe that will be necessary. “We’re prepared to do it,” he said. “We anticipated doing it, actually.”
Trump dismissed criticism that he failed to seek congressional approval for the operation, saying lawmakers were aware of US actions. “We have good support congressionally,” he said, declining to elaborate on who knew what and when.
