Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela without enforcing an “oil quarantine” on the country, a move after President Donald Trump announced the previous day that the US would take over Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolás Maduro.
Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows appear to be designed to ease concerns that America’s assertive action to achieve regime change could once again produce prolonged foreign intervention or a failed nation-building effort. They stand in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the US will at least temporarily “manage” the oil-rich country, comments that suggested some kind of governance structure in which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.
Rubio offered another chance, saying the U.S. would continue to enforce the oil split that was already in place at the tankers condemned before Maduro was ousted from power early Saturday and use that advantage as a way to press for policy changes in Venezuela.
“And this is the kind of control that the president is referring to when he says that,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We are continuing with this lockout, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not only in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also to stop drug trafficking.”
The embargo on condemned oil tankers – some of which have been seized by the US – “is still there, and that is a huge amount that will continue until we see changes that not only advance the interests of the United States, which is number one, but also lead to a better future for the Venezuelan people,” he added.
Even before the operation that captured Maduro, experts were already questioning the legality of parts of the administration’s crackdown on Venezuela, including deadly bombings of suspected drug-trafficking boats that some experts said stretched the limits of international law.
Trump repeatedly vows the US will ‘run’ Venezuela
Trump’s vow to “run” on Venezuela, repeated more than half a dozen times at a news conference in Florida on Saturday, has raised concerns among some Democrats. It’s also unsettled parts of his Republican coalition, including the “America First” base that opposes foreign intervention, and observers who remember past nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rubio dismissed such criticism, saying Trump’s intentions were misunderstood by the “foreign policy establishment” that focused on the Middle East.
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“Every foreign policy thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan,” Rubio said. “This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.”
Rubio also suggested that the US would give Maduro’s subordinates, who are now in charge, time in power, saying, “We will judge everything by what they do, and we will see what they do.” And while he didn’t rule out the presence of US troops in Venezuela, Rubio said the US’s “military presence” could stop drug boats and illegal tankers.
The day before, Trump told reporters, “We’re going to run the country until the time comes when we can make a transition that’s safe, appropriate, and prudent.” He later pointed to his national security team with him, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said some time will be spent “by the people behind me. We’ll be running it and we’ll get it back.”
The White House declined to comment beyond what Trump said Saturday.
Maduro arrived Saturday afternoon at a small airport north of New York City following a midnight raid that ousted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital Caracas – a move Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces US charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Maduros’ surprise arrest capped a major campaign of pressure by the Trump administration on Venezuela’s independent leader and months of secret planning, leading to the strongest US move to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts have raised questions about the legality of the operation, which was carried out without congressional approval.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, wants the United States to release Maduro and call him the rightful leader of the country as the Supreme Court of his country has appointed him as interim president.
After arriving at the airport, Maduro flew by helicopter to Manhattan, where a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including an armored car, was waiting to take him to the nearest office of the US Drug Enforcement Administration. A video posted on social media by the White House account shows Maduro, smiling, as he is escorted by two DEA agents holding his arms in that office.
He is due to make his first appearance Monday in Manhattan federal court.
Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on charges of narco-terrorism, and the Justice Department issued a new indictment on Saturday against Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the US with cocaine. The American government does not recognize Maduro as the leader of the country.
The Trump administration has spent months building up US forces in the region and attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean suspected of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA conducted a pilot strike on a naval base believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels – the first known operation directly on Venezuelan soil since the US operation began in September.
There is silence in Venezuela after the US operation
Venezuela’s capital remained unusually quiet on Sunday with few cars moving and shops, gas stations and other businesses closed. The street, which is usually filled with joggers, cyclists and other fitness enthusiasts only on Sundays, had a handful of people working the day after Maduro was ousted.
The presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and members of the army. In the nearby plaza, there was only a street sweeper and a soldier, and across the street, the church remained nearby for the second day in a row.
Caracas resident David Leal arrived at the parking lot where he makes a living only to quickly realize that he probably won’t see any customers for the second day.
“People are still in shock,” said Leal, 77.
–Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press Correspondents Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.
