Trump made the comments as he prepared to meet major oil corporations that he said would invest at least $100 billion in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves. Trump was implicitly making clear he is ready again to use force to get his way in Venezuela, which he has vowed to force to enrich the United States, especially oil companies. “Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace,'” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump had earlier played down democracy as a motivating factor for the attack, despite years of the United States’ saying that Maduro was illegitimate elections were filled with fraud. Trump said the United States would “run” the Caribbean country for a transitional period and tap into its oil reserves for years.

Source: Punch January 09, 2026 18:23 UTC