Donald Trump revealed that he will allow U.S. oil companies to oversee Venezuela's energy infrastructure, promising to repair it and generate income for Venezuela.
On Saturday, 3 Jan 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump held a press conference at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, updating on progress after U.S. military operations in Venezuela and the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were extradited to the U.S. to face charges.
At one point, Trump announced his plan to permit U.S. oil companies to take charge of Venezuela's energy infrastructure.
“We will allow the largest U.S. oil companies, which are among the biggest in the world, to invest billions of dollars to repair the heavily damaged infrastructure — both oil infrastructure — and start generating revenue for the country.”
“We will have a role in Venezuela related to oil,” Trump said. “We are about to bring up enormous wealth from beneath the ground.”
Additionally, the U.S. will maintain military forces in the region for some time. Trump stated U.S. troops will be deployed in Venezuela to secure the oil fields and pledged that the income generated will compensate Venezuelans and the U.S. for damages sustained under Maduro’s rule.
Previously, Trump indicated that the U.S. would temporarily administer Venezuela following Maduro’s arrest, overseeing until a safe, appropriate, and careful transition of power occurs.
Trump also said the U.S. is currently working with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. He added that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio “just spoke with her, and basically she is willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
Trump added, “Rodríguez spoke with Marco for a long time, and she said, ‘We will do everything you want’… I think she was very polite, but really, she doesn’t have many options.”
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Source:cnn