APTOPIX Venezuela US
Government supporters burn a U.S. flag in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
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Rubio says US will press change in Venezuela with oil embargo, while Trump insists 'we're in charge'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is suggesting the United States won’t govern Venezuela other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country. That's even as President Donald Trump again insisted Sunday that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of President Nicolás Maduro. Rubio’s statements seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention. But Rubio’s comments didn’t stop Trump from again repeating his less nuanced position on Sunday night, saying that, when it came to Venezuela, “we’re going to run everything.” Meanwhile, interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez invited Trump “to collaborate” and said she's seeking “respectful relations.”
