Venezuelans face uncertainty as the Trump administration’s plans for their country emerge. Here’s what to know

By Piper HudspethBlackburn, CNN

(CNN) — An emboldened President Donald Trump declared Sunday night that the US is “in charge” of Venezuela after detaining President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid over the weekend, as he issued stark warnings to other countries that they could be next.

Maduro, who was dragged into custody with his wife, Cilia Flores, in a deadly early Saturday morning raid, appeared in court in New York on Monday to face charges that he and his associates conspired with with narcoterrorists to ship thousands of tons of cocaine to the US. “I am still president of my country,” Maduro said during the hearing, where he and his wife entered not guilty pleas.

Trump’s latest comments come even as some in his administration, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, suggested the US would be relying more on leverage over Venezuela and coercion, rather than directly running it as Trump first suggested during a Saturday morning news conference.

Meanwhile, Venezuelans are hunkering down as they wait for more information about what the Trump administration has in store for their country. The Trump administration is working quickly to establish a compliant interim government, according to US officials, prioritizing administrative stability and repairing the country’s oil infrastructure over an immediate turn to democracy.

In particular, US officials have focused on the country’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as acting president on Monday afternoon. Trump advisers identified Rodríguez weeks ago as a viable, if nonpermanent, alternative to Maduro. Despite Rodríguez’s initial attacks on the administration over Maduro’s capture, US officials privately maintained optimism she would work with the United States.

By Sunday night, Rodríguez was striking a softer tone than she previously had, calling for “cooperation” with the US.

Trump returned to Washington, DC, late Sunday night where lawmakers are mostly divided along party lines in their reaction to the military operation, which Congress was not notified about ahead of time.

Democrats in Congress have slammed the administration for not seeking congressional authorization before the attack, while Trump allies in the GOP have mostly praised the operation.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, a Republican, told CNN on “State of the Union” that new “legitimate” elections including members of the country’s opposition party will likely be a next step.

Here’s what to know:

What happened during the military operation?

The Trump administration struck various parts of Caracas, Venezuela’s capital city, in the early hours of Saturday, January 3. Members of the US Army’s elite Delta Force dragged Maduro and Flores from their bedroom and flew them to the USS Iwo Jima, then onto New York, via Guantanamo Bay.

The operation took months of planning and was the culmination of a pressure campaign on Maduro that has featured a massive US naval buildup in the Caribbean and a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.

Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro has included strikes destroying more than 30 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean in what the US has described as a counter-narcotics campaign. Trump last month ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving Venezuela, and the US has seized multiple vessels since the announcement.

What is up with Venezuela’s oil?

Rubio rejected accusations on Sunday that the operation was conducted in order to give US companies better access to Venezuela’s oil reserves, which are the largest proven in the world. Still, he predicted there will be “dramatic interest” from Western oil companies on ABC’s “This Week.”

CNN reported Sunday, however, that energy companies have been privately wary of committing to the endeavor, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversations. Experts and members of Venezuela’s opposition say that the oil industry cannot be revitalized without political stability.

Venezuela’s reserves consist of heavy, sour crude oil, which requires special equipment and a high level of technical prowess to produce. Products made in the refining process include diesel, asphalt and fuels for factories and other heavy equipment.

Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company PDVSA says its pipelines haven’t been updated in 50 years, and the cost to update the infrastructure to return to peak production levels would cost $58 billion.

In recent weeks, members of the Venezuela opposition briefed Trump administration officials on their plans to revitalize the oil sector in Venezuela in the event of Maduro’s ouster, according to two sources familiar with the interaction. But now, opposition members are wary of what the Trump administration is planning because they do not want remaining members of the Maduro regime to lead the country or any efforts to rebuild the country’s oil industry.

Who is in charge in Venezuela?

Trump said during a news conference after the operation that the US would “run” the country “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” Later Sunday, Rubio appeared to clarify those comments, saying that the administration’s focus is on setting future policy.

“It’s running policy,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that the “entire national security apparatus” will be involved in those decisions.

Rodríguez, a Maduro loyalist, assumed the powers and duties of acting president on Sunday. While Rodríguez initially slammed the operation and demanded the US release Maduro and his wife, she later extended an invitation to the US government to collaborate on an “agenda of cooperation.”

“President Donald Trump: our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war. This has always been President Nicolás Maduro’s message, and it is a message of all Venezuela right now,” Rodríguez said in comments made directly to the US president.

The Trump administration has shrugged off calls to support the leader of Venezuela’s opposition, María Corina Machado, and the president said Saturday that he didn’t believe the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner has the “respect” or “support” to lead the country.

Trump told the New York Post Sunday that Machado would only win an election if she had his support, adding that “I like her very much.”

Speaking to CNN, Venezuelan opposition politician David Smolansky pushed back on Trump’s suggestion that Machado lacks support at home, calling her “the most trusted leader in Venezuela.”

He pointed to her landslide primary victory and her backing of president-elect Edmundo González as proof of her legitimacy.

The opposition maintains that González was the true winner of the 2024 elections, and on Sunday he referred to himself as “president” and called for the Venezuela’s military to put him in power.

“As commander in chief, I remind you that your loyalty is to the constitution, to the people and to the republic,” González said. “This is a historic moment. We face it with calm, clarity and democratic commitment.”

What about other countries in the region?

Trump threatened other countries on Sunday and implied military action could come to Colombia.

“Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Trump also touched on Mexico, noting that he repeatedly offered the assistance of US troops to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, but that “she’s a little afraid.”

He also repeated comments he had made about Cuba on Saturday, noting that he is not considering military action against Cuba, and that he believed that it would fall of its own volition.

“I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action,” he said Sunday.

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz Canel has condemned the US operation and has called it “state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America.” The country said Sunday that at least 32 of its nationals were killed in the attack.

To the north, Trump renewed his interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark – a NATO ally – that he says the US “absolutely” needs for “national security.” The Danish prime minister urged Trump to tone down his rhetoric, saying the US had no right to annex the island.

How are Venezuelans dealing with the fall out of the military operation?

CNN reported over the weekend that the streets of Caracas and other cities have been quiet, with people only venturing out to for basic supplies in case the capital sees clashes or looting.

There have been little signs of the government-backed paramilitary groups known as colectivos on the streets, but long lines outside of supermarkets and pharmacies.

Opposition supporters are celebrating in private, and there have been no rallies supporting the US action. State media in Venezuela has featured supporters of the regime with defiant messages for Trump.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Ali Main, Kit Maher, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Kristen Holmes, Tim Lister, Eric Bradner, and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.

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