ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said he assumes the US would oversee Venezuela’s oil resources for years, arguing “we will rebuild it in a very profitable way.”

In an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, Trump said Venezuela’s interim leadership – which he described as former loyalists of captured President Nicolas Maduro – was “giving us everything that we feel is necessary” to meet US demands.

“We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need,” Trump said.

He said the administration had already started generating revenue for the US by securing oil previously under sanctions, citing his Tuesday night announcement that Washington would acquire between 30 and 50 million barrels of heavy Venezuelan crude.

“The oil will take a while,” he said, adding, “Don’t forget, they took the oil from us years ago.”

Trump’s comments followed a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailing a three-step plan for Venezuela based on stabilization, recovery and transition.

Trump did not explain why he recognized Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as Venezuela’s new leader instead of opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, but said Rubio is in “constant communication” with her and the administration.

He also avoided answering the question of why he did not install Edmundo Gonzalez, whom the US declared the winner of Venezuela's 2024 elections.

Trump also briefly paused the interview to take a call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, days after threatening action against Colombia, a conversation that appeared to ease immediate tensions. He later said the capture of Maduro had sent a strong signal to other regional leaders.

Trump said he closely monitored preparations for the operation, including the construction of a life-size replica of the compound at a military facility in Kentucky, adding that he feared it could become a “Jimmy Carter disaster. That destroyed his entire administration.”

He declined to say what circumstances might prompt US forces to deploy on the ground in Venezuela. “I wouldn’t want to tell you that,” he said. “I really wouldn’t want to tell you that, but they’re treating us with great respect. As you know, we’re getting along very well with the administration that is there right now.”

Trump also said he hopes to visit Venezuela in the future. “I think at some point it’ll be safe.”