U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day beyond enforcing an existing “oil quarantine,” even as President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. would be “in charge” after a military operation that ousted leader Nicolás Maduro.
Rubio’s comments were aimed at tempering concerns that Washington’s assertive push for regime change could turn into a prolonged foreign intervention or an attempt at nation-building. They contrasted with Trump’s broader, largely undefined claims that the U.S. would “run” the oil-rich country and control how it is administered.
Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Rubio described a narrower U.S. role centered on the oil quarantine that, he said, was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power early Saturday. Rubio said the U.S. would continue that quarantine and would use the leverage to press policy changes in Venezuela, including changes in how the oil industry is run for the benefit of the Venezuelan people and efforts to ensure Caracas “stop[s] the drug trafficking.”
Trump, meanwhile, continued to say the U.S. would take charge. While aboard Air Force One heading to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump said of Venezuela, “We’re going to run it, fix it.” He also said earlier that the U.S. would be “running” Venezuela until it could be “put back on track,” without providing details or a timeline for how that would work.
Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez sought to soften the tone. Rodríguez invited Trump “to collaborate” and posted that she wants “respectful relations” with the U.S., writing that she invited the U.S. government to collaborate with Venezuela on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law.
In a separate message after the U.S. operation, Rodríguez called Maduro the rightful leader and urged the U.S. to release him. She described the operation as an “atrocity” and said, “history and justice will make the extremists who promoted this armed aggression pay.” Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she did not fall in line with U.S. demands.
Trump told reporters that Rodríguez is “cooperating,” while reiterating the demand for access. He said he wanted Rodríguez to provide “total access” to parts of Venezuela ranging from major oil operations to basic infrastructure, adding, “We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.”
Rubio sought to counter criticism that Trump’s approach could resemble earlier U.S. interventions. Rubio said, “The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan,” and argued, “This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.” Rubio also indicated that the U.S. would judge Maduro’s subordinates by what they do, saying, “We’re going to judge everything by what they do.”
Rubio added that although he did not rule out boots on the ground, the U.S. was already positioned to stop alleged drug boats and sanctioned oil tankers. He said the blockade on sanctioned oil tankers “remains in place,” describing it as leverage that would continue until Venezuela makes changes aligned with both U.S. national interests and a “better future for the people of Venezuela.”
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled earlier Sunday that Rodríguez would be acting president. Cuba also weighed in on the operation, announcing that 32 Cuban security officers were killed in the U.S. action, and Trump acknowledged that “a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” while saying, “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Maduro is due to appear Monday in Manhattan’s federal court for what the Justice Department has charged, according to the report. The operation that seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, took place at their home in a military base in Caracas, an action Maduro’s government called “imperialist,” and the couple faces U.S. charges connected to a narco-terrorism conspiracy. The Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife, according to the report, describing his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation.
Over the weekend, Venezuela’s government reportedly continued operating as usual. Sunday’s capital was unusually quiet, with few vehicles moving and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed, and Maduro’s son, lawmaker Nicolás Ernesto Guerra, had not appeared in public since the attack. The report said he posted on Instagram on Saturday a government statement repudiating the capture of his father and stepmother.