NEW YORK — US President Donald Trump said the United States will administer Venezuela until what he described as a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power, following the reported capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said, adding that Washington did not want to see another leader installed only to repeat “the same situation we had for the last long period of years.”
Trump also said the US would be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry during the interim period. According to his remarks, Maduro and Flores are being taken to New York to face indictment.
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Describing the operation as a “stunning, effective and powerful display of American military might,” Trump claimed Venezuelan military capabilities had been rendered “powerless” in a short period of time. He said no American service members were killed and no US equipment was lost, citing extensive air and personnel involvement.
The statements mark an extraordinary escalation in US rhetoric toward Venezuela and signal Washington’s intention, according to Trump, to oversee the country’s governance until a transition is completed.
