The Trump administration has clarified its approach to governance in Venezuela following the arrest and removal of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S.-led operation. In the days after the intervention, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other officials gave varying statements on who was overseeing Venezuela.
President Trump told reporters, “It means we’re in charge,” when asked about control over Caracas. However, other administration officials suggested that daily operations were being handled by interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and local authorities.
A senior official explained, “The president is speaking about exerting maximum leverage with the remaining elements in Venezuela and ensuring they cooperate with the United States by halting illegal migration, stopping drug flows, revitalizing oil infrastructure and doing what is right for the Venezuelan people.”
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller offered a more direct view during a television interview: “By definition, we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce.” Miller continued, “So the United States is in charge. The United States is running the country during this transition period,” while noting that local matters like bus fares or school curriculums remain under Venezuelan oversight.
U.S. forces recently seized two sanctioned tanker ships connected to Venezuela, as part of ongoing measures to control oil trade from the country. Additionally, President Trump announced that interim Venezuelan authorities would transfer between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described current U.S.-Venezuelan relations as highly coordinated: “The Trump administration, led by Secretary Rubio, the vice president, and the president’s entire national security team, is in close correspondence with the interim authorities in Venezuela. We obviously have maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela,” she said at a briefing.
Leavitt also stated that U.S. influence aims to halt drug trafficking and unauthorized migration from Venezuela into America: “Right now, the president has made it very clear that this is a country within … the Western Hemisphere, close by the United States, that is no longer going to be sending illegal drugs to the United States of America. It’s no longer going to be sending and trafficking illegal people in criminal cartels to kill American citizens, as they have in the past. … And their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States.”
Secretary Rubio said on CBS’ “Face The Nation” that changes are expected not only for Venezuela’s oil industry but also for combating crime and foreign influence: “We expect to see that there will be changes – not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop drug trafficking…and that they no longer cozy up to Hezbollah and Iran in our own hemisphere,” he said.
Miller further articulated an assertive vision for U.S. power across Latin America: “We live in a world…that is governed by strength…These are iron laws…since beginning of time.” He reiterated longstanding interest in Greenland becoming part of U.S. territory—a position European leaders have repeatedly rejected—and suggested military options were under review regarding its acquisition.
Trump signaled broader ambitions across Latin America during recent remarks referencing Mexico’s struggles with cartels and predicting change for Cuba without ruling out future intervention there.
Some lawmakers voiced concern about these developments. House Foreign Affairs ranking member Gregory W. Meeks criticized Trump’s actions against Maduro as unrelated to imminent threats or democratic transitions: “Instead, the administration is embracing a dangerous worldview…mirroring…logic (Russian President) Vladimir Putin uses…” he said.
Robert Weissman of Public Citizen warned against what he called resource imperialism: “Trump seems to think that Venezuelan oil belongs to the United States,” Weissman said. He argued Trump’s policies invoke doctrines claiming hemispheric dominance “by force.”
At a GOP policy retreat Trump declared: “The United States proved…we have…the most powerful…military…on planet Earth…Nobody can take us.”
Former National Security Council chief Alexander Gray wrote that these actions mark only an initial phase: “While…the administration’s actions in Venezuela have shocked…the world…and sent a strong message…they are likely only [the] starting point for a longer-term…and more comprehensive reappraisal of U.S.…interests…”
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 4:53 PM.
