Trump Declares U.S. Control After Venezuela Operation

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One last night, President Donald Trump addressed a broad range of foreign policy issues, from Venezuela, oil, and elections to Iran, Cuba, and Mexico.

Asked first about American service members injured during the operation, Trump said the administration has been in touch with them and that “they are all in good shape.” He then described the raid itself, calling it “a very dangerous operation.” Trump said U.S. forces came under fire as helicopters landed, with bullets “flying all over the place.” One helicopter was hit “pretty badly,” he said, but all personnel were recovered and “nobody killed.” Trump praised what he called the “amazing talent” and “tremendous patriotism” of the troops involved.

When questioned about who is now in charge in Venezuela, Trump declined to name a specific authority, saying the United States is dealing with those who have been sworn in. “We are in charge.” Trump said he has not yet spoken directly with the new leadership but added that he would do so “at the right time.”

Turning to the political future of Venezuela, Trump said elections would come later, after the country is stabilized. He described Venezuela as “a dead country right now” and said the priority is to “bring it back.” According to Trump, the focus is on restoring basic economic and energy infrastructure before any vote takes place.

Turning to the military, Trump said U.S. forces were prepared for a second wave of strikes during the operation and remain ready if needed. “We were ready for a second wave,” he said, adding that while it may not be necessary, further action remains possible if circumstances change.

Discussing Venezuela’s oil reserves, Trump disputed lower estimates, saying the country holds far more than billions of barrels. He said the United States would “run everything” for now, fix production, and only later move toward elections, again stressing that the country must be repaired first.

Trump then widened his remarks to the region, calling Colombia “very sick” and accusing its leadership of producing and exporting cocaine to the United States. He said the situation there “will not be around for very long.” On Cuba, Trump said the regime had long survived on Venezuelan support and claimed that Cuban forces suffered casualties during recent events. “A lot of Cubans were killed,” he said, stressing that there were no American deaths. He added that the Cuban leadership would not last, saying, “Their days are numbered.”

Addressing Iran, Trump said the United States is “watching very closely” as protests continue. He warned that if Iranian authorities begin killing protesters, they would “get hit very hard by the United States.”

On Mexico, Trump said cartels are effectively running the country and confirmed that he has repeatedly offered to send U.S. troops to assist. He said Mexico’s leadership is reluctant, describing them as concerned and afraid of the cartels.

Trump closed by again describing Venezuela’s economy as catastrophic, calling it “the worst economy I think I’ve ever seen.” He said inflation was spiraling and that “things are doubling every day,” adding that the country was once wealthy and had been destroyed by mismanagement. “We have to fix the country fast,” Trump said, arguing that U.S. actions are already shifting how governments think. “Everybody in the world is thinking differently than they were just a few days ago because of what we did,” he said.