Donald Trump announced that the United States will govern Venezuela until a safe power transition is possible, and disclosed plans for a second wave of attacks, though these now seem unnecessary.
On Saturday, 3 Jan 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump held a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, revealing updates following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were then brought to the U.S. to face charges.
Trump stated that the U.S. will administer Venezuela following Maduro's capture.
“We will govern the country until the time comes when we can safely, appropriately, and prudently conduct a power transition,” Trump said. “We don’t want to get involved in scenarios where others take over and we end up facing the same problems we've seen for years. So, we will run the country ourselves.”
Trump said senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, will work with a “team” to help administer Venezuela. “Rubio and Hegseth will be the team working alongside the Venezuelan people to ensure we restore Venezuela properly,” he added.
The U.S. leader did not rule out deploying U.S. troops, stating, “We are not afraid to send infantry on the ground.”
He also mentioned plans to “restore the oil infrastructure,” which would be directly funded by oil companies.
Trump did not specify a clear timeline for how long the power transition might take.
Donald Trump also said that the power was cut in Caracas during Maduro’s arrest and praised those involved in the operation.
“No country in the world could have achieved what America did yesterday—or frankly, in such a short time. The entire military potential of Venezuela was neutralized while our men and women in the armed forces, working with law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night. It was dark; most of Caracas’s lights were expertly shut down,” Trump said, adding, “It was both dark and intense.”
Trump confirmed that no U.S. soldiers died and no equipment was lost, and stated the U.S. has “eradicated 97% of drugs entering by sea,” claiming that each drug shipment kills an average of 25,000 people and that most drugs originate from Venezuela.
Trump said the U.S. was prepared for a second attack on Venezuela if necessary but that it now seems unnecessary.
“We are ready to send a second wave if needed—we actually assumed the second wave would be necessary—but now it looks like it won’t be,” Trump said. “The first wave—or if you want to call it the initial strike—was so successful that we may not need a second wave, but we are prepared for one, which would be much larger.”
Trump emphasized that the early Saturday morning operation (local time), in which U.S. elite special forces extracted Maduro and his wife from their bedroom, was a “high-precision” mission.
He added that there were previously planned military operations for later stages in Venezuela, but the government might no longer need to carry those out.
The U.S. leader stressed that the ban on Venezuelan oil sales remains in effect and that the U.S. will continue to pressure Venezuela economically and militarily while assessing next steps.
“Importantly, the full ban on Venezuelan oil shipments remains fully enforced. The U.S. Navy remains deployed in position, and the U.S. retains all military options until our demands are fully met and satisfactorily addressed,” the president said.
Additionally, Trump issued a direct warning to Venezuelan political and military leaders involved with Maduro: “All key political and military figures in Venezuela should understand that what happened to Maduro can happen to them as well—and it will happen if they do not treat their own people fairly.”
Trump said removing Maduro’s power marks a pivotal moment for Venezuela. “The dictatorship and terrorists like Maduro have finally lost power. The people are free again. It has been a long time coming, but now they are free.”
/international news updates:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:cnn