Trump Rules Out Immediate Elections in Venezuela
"We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote," Trump explained in an interview with a news agency, adding, "It’s going to take a period of time. We have to nurse the country back to health."
Trump confirmed that US military action over the weekend led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores.
He pledged that Washington would maintain control over Venezuela temporarily, deploying American forces if necessary.
Despite the operation, Trump stressed that the US is not at war with Venezuela. "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."
Looking ahead, Trump suggested that the US could subsidize oil companies to rebuild Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, estimating the process could be completed in under 18 months. "I think we can do it in less time than that, but it'll be a lot of money," he noted.
"A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue."
During the interview, the news agency reported that Trump identified several officials—Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller—as key figures who would help shape US involvement in Venezuela.
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