What to know about Trump’s plan on Venezuela

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was abducted on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump promised to “run” the Latin American nation until a transition was finished. A day later, his top diplomat stated that the US does not want to rule the nation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the US is not at war with Venezuela, while on the same day, Trump told reporters that he might order a second strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with the US to clamp down on drug trafficking and open up its oil industry.

The Department of Justice on Monday quietly dropped a claim that Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, was an actual drug trafficking group. The US labeled it a terrorist organization last year. Maduro was defended by the Trump administration as its leader, and they made his claim.

In December, the US had accused Venezuela of trafficking fentanyl, dubbing it a “weapon of mass destruction”. Fentanyl was not mentioned when Maduro’s charges were announced on Monday, though.

JD Vance, the vice president of the US, continued to insist that some fentanyl was sourced from Venezuela on Sunday.

Analysts have pointed out confusing messaging coming from the Trump administration regarding the aim behind the brazen operation and how to move forward. Additionally, experts have questioned the legitimacy of the operation that allegedly resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people.

The Trump administration insists that Maduro’s capture was justified and that the Maduro government is unelected.

In the meantime, Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, who was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on Monday, has expressed eagerness to collaborate with the US.

Who will rule Venezuela is currently in the hands of uncertainty. Trump and Rubio’s statements have some significant differences.

What has Rubio said?

Rubio defended the US actions and explained the rationale behind the operation, which the UN Security Council has condemned, in interviews with numerous news outlets on Sunday and Monday.

Rubio said in an interview with Meet the Press correspondent Kristen Welker that he was fighting drug trafficking organizations. That’s not a war against Venezuela. ”

According to him, “drug boats” will continue to be seized, citing the numerous strikes on ships close to the Venezuelan coast since September that have resulted in more than 100 casualties.

“No more drug trafficking … and no more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world and not benefitting the people of Venezuela or, frankly, benefitting the United States and the region,” Rubio told NBC on Sunday.

Rubio added that the United States already has plenty of its own oil, not to mention Venezuelan oil. He said, citing Russia, Iran, and China as examples of what we won’t allow the Venezuelan oil industry to be under the control of adversaries of the US.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. Where do we reside? Simply put, we won’t allow the Western Hemisphere to serve as a base of operations for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States. ”

About eight million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014, according to Rubio, who claimed Maduro and his inner circle have been using the country’s oil wealth to benefit the country’s citizens. He claimed that the region was being “destabilized” by the migration.

According to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees updated in May 2025, nearly 7. Venezuela has lost 9 million people. The US’s punitive sanctions, according to analysts, were significant factors in Venezuela’s economic collapse, which contributed to the migrant crisis.

Rubio on Sunday reiterated that the US will continue to enforce an existing “oil quarantine”.

According to Rubio, “We continue with that quarantine and we anticipate seeing changes in how the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people as well as to stop the drug trafficking,” Rubio told a local news outlet.

According to experts, claims that Venezuela is the main gateway to drugs into the US are false.

What has Trump said?

Trump has said something about Venezuela, but Rubio’s recent statements are different.

Trump had earlier suggested other ideas, including that the US is not interested in Venezuela and does not want to govern it.

During a news conference on Saturday, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be carried out.

Trump added that US oil companies would “start making money for the country” by fixing Venezuela’s “broken infrastructure” and “start fixing the country’s broken infrastructure.”

What’s the plan then?

Elvira Dominguez-Redondo, a professor of international law at Kingston University in the United Kingdom, told Al Jazeera that there is no basis to comment on whether Washington has a coherent plan.

It is impossible to predict what the US will do next, especially given the contradictory public statements made by senior figures. ”

She added: “What I can say, based on observable facts, is that there is no full-scale military invasion or formal assumption of governmental authority by the US. Instead, it appears as though Maduro’s resignation was done, while the rest of the governing apparatus will continue in place, in unspecified circumstances. It’s not clear whether or not this agreement was reached. ”

According to Dominguez-Redondo, US citizens are unable to legally invade and rule Venezuela because this would constitute an international occupation.

What is Venezuela’s most recent political situation?

Sworn in as the interim leader on Monday, Rodriguez, 56, told the National Assembly, “I come with pain over the kidnapping of two heroes who are being held hostage: President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. ”

I commit myself to working tirelessly to ensure our people’s peace, prosperity, economic prosperity, and social tranquility. ”

In a friendly message, she had offered to work with Trump and urged her to seek out “respectful relations.”

Rodriguez wrote on social media that the US government should work with us to develop a cooperation plan that is focused on shared development within the framework of international law to promote lasting community coexistence.

“President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. ”

Rodriguez declared that Maduro was Venezuela’s sole legitimate president on state television on Saturday alongside her brother, National Assembly Chairman Jorge Rodriguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, her brother.

Who are the key leaders in Venezuela’s Chavista government?

Acting President Rodriguez, who was a member of Maduro’s inner circle, is one of the key figures shaping Venezuela’s next political chapter. Jorge, her brother, is also a powerful leader.

The other key leaders include Interior Minister Cabello – considered powerful in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela – and Defence Minister Lopez.

When asked what possible sanctions could be brought against US intervention by the Venezuelan government and military, Dominguez-Redondo of Kingston University responded, “In the end, very little. ”

“If the Venezuelan military were capable of mounting a meaningful response, it would likely have done so already. ”

She cited attacks on boats in Venezuelan waters that the US claimed were carrying drugs as the beginning of US involvement in the country.

“These were Venezuelan boats, and even if they were engaged in trafficking, the killings were extrajudicial executions. From a legal perspective, those incidents might have been considered armed attacks, which Venezuela might have done in order to grant them a right to self-defense.

Venezuela responded militarily, but instead chose to condemn itself. The escalation then continued through the seizure of Venezuelan oil, and finally, the capture of Maduro. The Venezuelan military’s inability to effectively respond is clearly demonstrated by the sequence. ”

Dominguez-Redondo added that it is also unlikely that other countries will take action against the US involvement in Venezuela.

The UNSC is the only organization that has the power to impose sanctions that are legally binding on all states. However, this body has the authority to veto any decisions made against the US. As a result, there is no credible mechanism capable of constraining the US in the short term. ”

Additionally, Venezuela has Colectivos, which are pro-government, decentralized, armed civilian organizations with numerous individual leaders.

Who are the main opposition leaders?

Trump ruled out working with opposition leader and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize Maria Corina Machado on Saturday, claiming Machado’s support in Venezuela is insufficient.

Maduro’s left-wing government’s adversary, Machado, is a member of the Venezuelan National Assembly and a proponent of free trade. She fled the country last month.

Edmundo Gonzalez, a well-known opposition figure, defeated Maduro in the 2024 election after Machado was revoked from office. After escaping Venezuela in September 2024 due to an arrest warrant, he is currently based in Spain.

After Maduro, who might be next?

Trump threatened military action against Gustavo Petro, his Colombian counterpart, after Maduro was kidnapped, adding that he thought the Cuban government was also likely to collapse soon.

Venezuela and Colombia were declared “very sick” by Trump on Sunday, while Petro was described as a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

“And he’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me explain. ”

When asked if he meant a US operation against Colombia, Trump said, “Sounds good to me. ”

Petro retorted on Sunday in a number of posts on X, saying he would “take up arms” if necessary.

Source: Aljazeera