President Donald Trump, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump said the United States could oversee Venezuela and control its oil revenues for years, signaling a potentially prolonged U.S. role in the South American nation following the capture of longtime leader Nicolás Maduro and his removal to the United States to face narco-terrorism and other charges.
In a wide-ranging, nearly two-hour interview with The New York Times published on Jan. 8, Trump declined to set a timeline for how long Washington would retain effective oversight of Venezuela’s political and economic affairs, including its vast oil sector.
