By Ginika Igboke
President Donald Trump said the United States is not at war with Venezuela but is instead targeting drug trafficking networks, following the surprise capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
Speaking to NBC News on Jan. 5, Trump rejected the notion of a broader conflict. “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.”
Trump said the United States intends to stabilize Venezuela before the country can hold another election, noting that the process would take time. He suggested U.S. support could include subsidizing oil companies to help rebuild Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, a task he estimated could take less than 18 months.
“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” Trump said. “We have to nurse the country back to health.”
The president said senior U.S. officials would oversee the effort, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance. Trump added that he would retain final authority over U.S. actions in Venezuela.
“It’s a group of all. They have all expertise, different expertise,” he said, emphasizing that he would be the ultimate decision-maker.
U.S. forces carried out airstrikes on Caracas on Jan. 3, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to face drug- and arms-related charges in the United States. The Cuban government said at least 32 Cuban officers deployed to assist Maduro were killed in the operation.
Following the capture, Trump said the United States would administer Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” to a new government could occur. On Jan. 5, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was appointed interim leader by the country’s Supreme Court and sworn into office.
Trump did not say whether he personally spoke with Rodríguez but said Rubio has been communicating with her in Spanish and has established strong relations with the interim leader.
Asked whether a deal had been made with Venezuelan officials to remove Maduro, Trump said, “Well, yeah, because a lot of people wanted to make a deal, but we decided to do it this way,” adding that none of Maduro’s aides were involved in the operation.
Maduro and Flores appeared in court on Jan. 5 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. They face counts including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess those weapons.
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