President Donald Trump praised interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez on Wednesday, saying oil from the South American country &#8220;is beginning to flow&#8221; just two months after U.S. forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Trump praised Rodríguez, who was tapped by Venezuela&#8217;s ruling party following Maduro&#8217;s capture, as the country increased its oil exports last month. Under American supervision, Venezuela doubled its oil exports in February to a five-month high of 788,000 barrels per day, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-02/venezuela-s-crude-exports-double-in-february-under-us-oversight">reported</a>.
&#8220;Delcy Rodríguez, who is the President of Venezuela, is doing a great job, and working with U.S. Representatives very well. The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116172714486213504">wrote</a> on Truth Social.
Trump made the comment while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with the Venezuelan leader in Caracas on Wednesday. Representatives from around two dozen mining and mineral companies also joined Burgum and Rodríguez for the meeting, which focused on paving a way for &#8220;capital investment to flow&#8221; into Venezuela, Burgum <a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-burgum-rodriguez-trump-minerals-dc9193f2832ad8ceafbfa551f078bfdd">said</a>.
The Interior secretary also leads Trump&#8217;s National Energy Dominance Council, which is tasked with cutting red tape and securing American energy independence. Burgum said on Wednesday that his goal to rejuvenate the American energy sector falls in line with the administration&#8217;s plan for Venezuela.
&#8220;When we are working together in can only mean two things, which is prosperity for the people of Venezuela and for the citizens of the United States, and it also brings peace and stability for the world,&#8221; Burgum said.
The American companies at the meeting &#8220;represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of dollars in high-paying jobs,&#8221; Burgum added.
After the meeting, Rodríguez signaled that she would push to change Venezuela&#8217;s mining law to allow for more U.S. investment in the industry, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-burgum-rodriguez-trump-minerals-dc9193f2832ad8ceafbfa551f078bfdd">reported</a>. Venezuela&#8217;s commitment to cooperate with the United States shows a remarkable shift in relations since Trump authorized action to remove Maduro from power in Venezuela and bring him to the United States to stand trial on drug trafficking conspiracy charges.
After Trump imposed a complete naval blockade of Venezuela and authorized the U.S. military operation to nab Maduro, the Trump administration began overseeing Venezuela&#8217;s state-run oil industry. The United States is especially benefiting from Venezuela&#8217;s recent bump in oil output, with American oil refiners, such as Chevron, bringing in their biggest oil hauls from Venezuela in seven years, according to Bloomberg.
Part of the Trump administration&#8217;s strategy for overseeing Venezuelan oil sales is to use the sales as “leverage” to push the Venezuelan government toward lasting &#8220;change,&#8221; Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in January.
“If we control the flow of oil, the sales of that oil, and the flow of the cash that comes from those sales, we have large leverage,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-to-control-venezuelan-oil-sales-as-leverage-for-change-energy-secretary-says">said</a>.

Donald Trump/Delcy Rodríguez

Trump Praises Maduro’s Replacement As Venezuela Sees Shift In Key Industry

Donald Trump

Doug Burgum

Nicolas Maduro

Trump Administration

Venezuela

President Donald Trump presented six of the nation’s highest honors during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, recognizing acts of military heroism and athletic excellence. 
Trump gave the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, to Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, a helicopter pilot wounded during the successful raid that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Slover was struck four times by enemy fire while preparing to land his Chinook helicopter at Maduro’s compound. 
“Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon Maduro&#8217;s heavily protected military fortress. This was a major military installation protected by thousands of soldiers,” Trump said. “While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle. And Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.”
Trump also awarded the Medal of Honor to 100-year-old naval aviator Royce Williams, who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, flying more than 200 combat missions. 
&#8220;In 1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime,” Trump said of an encounter during the Korean War. “Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes. It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn&#8217;t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1049447" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049447" class="size-full wp-image-1049447" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760.jpg" alt="US First Lady Melania Trump presents US veteran Captain E. Royce Williams with the Medal of Honor during US President Donald Trump's the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.</div>
Trump awarded the Purple Heart to Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, a National Guardsman who was seriously wounded in a shooting attack in Washington, D.C., before Thanksgiving. He also presented a Purple Heart to the family of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a National Guard soldier who was killed in the same attack. 
“With God&#8217;s help, Andrew has battled back from the edge of death,” Trump said. “He&#8217;s got a little work to do, but he&#8217;s doing great.”
The man suspected of attacking them was an Afghan national who was let into the country after former President Joe Biden withdrew American forces from Afghanistan. 
<div id="attachment_1049449" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049449" class="size-full wp-image-1049449" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460.jpg" alt="National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who survived a November 2025 shooting attack in Washington, DC, receives a Purple Heart as he is recognized by US President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="675" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-874x576.jpg 874w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-768x506.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images.</div>
Scott Ruskin, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who saved 165 people during deadly flooding in Texas in July 2025, was awarded the Legion of Merit, a military decoration recognizing outstanding service. 
&#8220;It was Scott&#8217;s first ever rescue mission,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;People watched Scott from a distance, and they couldn&#8217;t believe what they were seeing.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1049451" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049451" class="size-full wp-image-1049451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan and Milly Cate, a camper who was rescued by Ruskan during the flooding at Camp Mystic, attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump delivered his address days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration's tariff strategy, and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images.</div>
Trump also announced that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the top honor for a civilian, to Connor Hellebuyck, the goalie for the Olympic gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team. During the team’s 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the final, Hellebuyck recorded 41 saves, including a crucial third-period stop that preserved the victory. 
<div id="attachment_1049453" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049453" class="size-full wp-image-1049453" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124.jpg" alt="Goalie Connor Hellebuyck raises his gold medal as members of the US Men's Olympic hockey team are recogized by US President Donald Trump as he delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.</div>
&#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor.&#8221;
Trump said only around 12 other athletes have been given the Medal of Freedom in the past.

President Trump Delivers The State Of The Union Address

Trump Salutes American Heroes With Nation’s Highest Honors

Medal of Honor

State of the Union

U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean in what the Pentagon described as a coordinated effort to disrupt illicit Venezuelan oil shipments tied to the regime of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.
According to the Department of War, U.S. forces conducted a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” of the tanker Veronica III overnight Saturday into Sunday, after the vessel attempted to evade a U.S.-imposed quarantine on sanctioned ships.
“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine — hoping to slip away,” the Pentagon said in a post on X. “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.”
Video released by the Pentagon showed U.S. troops boarding the tanker without resistance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We defend the Homeland forward. Distance does not protect you.
Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.
The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s… <a href="https://t.co/Tran3cLR9g">pic.twitter.com/Tran3cLR9g</a>
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2022997870061011067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The Veronica III is a crude oil tanker that has previously been linked to Venezuela’s oil exports and is listed under U.S. sanctions related to Iran by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The boarding is the latest move in the Trump administration’s broader effort to dismantle what U.S. officials have described as Venezuela’s “shadow fleet,&#8221; a network of falsely flagged or covertly operated tankers used to move sanctioned crude into global markets.
​​The boarding came as the Department of War confirmed Monday that U.S. forces had intercepted another sanctioned tanker, the Aquila II, which like the Veronica III, had fled the Venezuelan coast following the January operation that removed Maduro from power.
Both tankers falsely flew Panamanian flags and are under U.S. sanctions tied to illicit oil shipments. Both had spent much of the past year “running dark,” a common smuggling tactic in which ships disable their tracking transponders to evade detection.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XF2bSRak-U">Speaking</a> Monday during a stop at Maine Bath Iron Works as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom Tour,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration intends to pursue every tanker that attempted to escape U.S. enforcement.
“The only guidance I gave to my military commanders is none of those are getting away,” Hegseth told shipyard workers. “I don’t care if we’ve got to go around the globe to get them — we’re going to get them.”
U.S. officials say at least 16 tankers fled Venezuelan waters in the aftermath of the January raid, prompting a global tracking effort that has now stretched from the Caribbean into the Indian Ocean. The Trump administration has now seized seven tankers since the January 3 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/united-states-carries-out-military-strikes-on-venezuela-captures-president-nicolas-maduro">operation</a>. This is part of a broader push to dismantle Venezuela’s shadow oil fleet and reassert control over the country’s petroleum exports.
Anonymous Naval officials <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/09/us-military-strike-pacific?utm_source=chatgpt.com">confirmed</a> to The Guardian that multiple U.S. vessels, including guided-missile destroyers and a mobile sea base, were operating in the Indian Ocean, underscoring the administration’s willingness to enforce sanctions far beyond the Western Hemisphere.
Venezuela’s oil sector has been under heavy U.S. sanctions for years, forcing the Maduro regime to rely on clandestine shipping routes and foreign intermediaries to sustain revenue. In December, President Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned Venezuelan tankers as part of an escalating pressure campaign, weeks before Maduro was apprehended during a U.S. military operation in January.
The Pentagon did not clarify whether the Veronica III has been formally seized or placed under U.S. control, stating only that the boarding was conducted successfully and without incident. 
“International waters are not sanctuary,” the Department of War said in its statement. “By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”
While the administration has offered limited public detail on the legal mechanisms governing the seizures, officials have framed the campaign as a necessary extension of sanctions enforcement against hostile regimes and their economic lifelines.
The interception of the Veronica III signals that, even as Maduro waits to stand trial, U.S. forces will continue to pursue the remnants of Venezuela’s illicit oil trade, and that geography alone will not shield sanctioned actors from American reach.

Venezuela Oil Tanker

U.S. Forces Intercept Another Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tanker, Seventh Since Fall Of Maduro

Department of War

Global Politics

Pete Hegseth

U.S. Military

World

Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said Wednesday that her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, is “innocent” and remains the “legitimate president” of the country despite his imprisonment in the United States. 
Maduro, who was captured by American special forces last month, is in federal prison in New York awaiting trial for drug trafficking. 
“I can tell you President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president. I will tell you this as a lawyer, that I am. Both President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are both innocent,” Rodríguez, who became acting president of Venezuela after Maduro was taken into custody, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/venezuela/maduro-legitimate-president-venezuela-delcy-rodriguez-interview-trump-rcna258687">told</a> NBC News. 
The Justice Department accuses Maduro of masterminding a decades-long narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracy involving senior Venezuelan officials that allegedly used state power to facilitate large-scale cocaine shipments bound for the United States. Prosecutors say the scheme transformed the government into a criminal enterprise, known as the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns).
“I can tell you I am in charge of the presidency of Venezuela, as it’s stated clearly in the constitution of Venezuela. And from the amount of work that I have, from how busy I am, I can tell you it’s very, very hard work and we’re doing it completely day by day,” Rodríguez said. 
She added that she has been invited to the United States and contemplated making a trip “once we establish this cooperation and we can move forward with everything.”
Last month, CIA Director John Ratcliffe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cia-director-meets-with-venezuelas-interim-leader-as-u-s-shifts-policy">met with Rodríguez</a> in Caracas to discuss economic cooperation and intensifying efforts against drug trafficking. At the time, an American official told The Daily Wire that the meeting focused on “trust building measures and laying the groundwork for continued communication and room for collaboration between the two governments.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in Venezuela on Wednesday, and he praised Rodríguez.
“She’s delivered information. Everything we know so far has turned out to be true. She’s made enormous positive changes, including already changing the hydrocarbon law in the country in the first few weeks,” he told NBC News. “So I would say that cooperation is off to a tremendous start.”
Wright is in Venezuela to examine the country&#8217;s oil industry. He said more than $1 billion in sales of Venezuelan oil had already been made, with another $5 billion expected in the next few months. 
“So the Venezuelans are in charge here in Venezuela, but the United States has enormous leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela — the largest revenue source that funds&#8230; the government of Venezuela is now controlled by the United States,” Wright said.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela Meets With U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright

Acting Venezeula President Says Maduro Is ‘Innocent,’ Still The ‘Legitimate’ Leader

Chris Wright

The U.S. military tracked down and boarded a crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after it evaded an American blockade in the Caribbean, the Department of War said Monday. 
The vessel, the Aquila II, was boarded without incident as American forces “conducted a right-of-visit” and maritime interdiction, the department said. The boarding comes as the United States has seized at least seven tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil. 
“When the [Department of War] says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world,” the department posted on X. “The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump&#8217;s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed. The Department of War tracked and hunted this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.”
A video released by the department showed American troops rappelling from a helicopter to board the ship. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
When the <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a> says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world.
Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the… <a href="https://t.co/kYVAQC5io9">pic.twitter.com/kYVAQC5io9</a>
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2020833550488965503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“No other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain. By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us,” the department said. “The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies the ability to defy American power in the global maritime domain.”
The Aquila II <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-boards-vessel-indian-ocean-without-incident-defense-secretary-says-2026-02-09/">reportedly</a> left Venezuela in early January carrying 700,000 barrels of heavy crude in defiance of the American blockade, bound for China. 
President Donald Trump imposed a blockade on all sanctioned oil tanker vessels leaving Venezuela on December 16. After the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the Department of War and the Coast Guard have continued to seize tankers that evaded the embargo. 
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-files-warrants-seize-dozens-more-venezuela-linked-oil-tankers-sources-say-2026-01-13/">reported</a> in January that the Trump administration had filed for warrants to seize dozens more oil tankers linked to the Venezuelan crude trade. 
Trump has said that American oil companies will invest tens of billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuela’s oil fields. The United States has already sold around $500 million worth of Venezuelan oil and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-has-returned-remaining-200-million-initial-500-million-oil-sale-venezuela-us-2026-02-04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent</a> the money back to the country at the direction of the American government.

MixCollage-09-Feb-2026-09-05-AM-2640

U.S. Military Intercepts Sanctioned Oil Tanker In Indian Ocean

The foundation that awards the Nobel Peace Prize has clarified that a Nobel, once awarded, cannot be “passed on.”
The Nobel Foundation made a statement on the non-transferability of its awards after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gifted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump last week. The clarifications suggest that the foundation is concerned with being connected to the President of the United States despite numerous world leaders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pax-trumpana-trumps-resume-for-winning-the-nobel-peace-prize">nominating</a> Trump himself to receive a peace prize.
“One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration,” the foundation said in a <a href="https://x.com/nobelprize/status/2012826296875667648">statement</a> on Sunday.
“The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who ‘have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,’ and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize. A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed,” it said.
The statement followed a release the foundation published on Friday explaining the symbolism behind the award and how, no matter what happens to the physical prize itself, the original recipient of the prize is always considered a Nobel laureate.
“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize,” the <a href="https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/press/press-releases/the-nobel-prize-and-the-laureate-are-inseparable">release</a> states. “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time,” it continues.
The Nobel Foundation&#8217;s repeated clarifications on the Nobel symbolism come after Trump received the Nobel Prize from Machado, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-ends-up-with-nobel-after-all-as-venezuelas-machado-gifts-prize-at-white-house">gave</a> Trump her prize after the United States used military force to raid Venezuela and arrest and extradite former dictator Nicolás Maduro. Maduro is imprisoned in New York on charges related to drug trafficking.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters after meeting with Trump at the White House, “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”

Nobel Foundation Panics After Machado Gifts Trump Her Award, Says Prize Cannot Be ‘Passed On’

General

Nobel Peace Prize

January 3, 2026, will go down in history as the day Venezuelans recovered something many had believed lost: hope.
That hope did not come from abstract promises, but from the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro — the first sign in decades that Venezuela may veer off the trajectory of authoritarian rule, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/700568/decade-distress-clouds-venezuela-future.aspx">economic collapse</a>, and <a href="https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/venezuela/#:~:text=About%20the%20Crisis%20in%20Venezuela&amp;text=The%20humanitarian%20crisis%20in%20Venezuela,Latin%20America%20and%20the%20Caribbean.">mass exile</a> that has defined the country for 26 years.
Despite this renewed optimism, many critics of the Trump administration have suggested the operation was somehow unethical or misguided.
Those critics miss the point entirely. Toppling Maduro has paved the way for long-term stability grounded in free-market capitalism and the rule of law to take root in Venezuela. If these forces are allowed to flourish, they will reshape the military, political, and economic structures that guide the country, and allow Venezuela to fully re-enter the global community.
It is no accident that authoritarians controlled Venezuela for as long as they did. To topple a regime from the inside, you need either a massive popular uprising or some kind of military coup. Maduro made sure both were impossible in Venezuela.
A 2013 law banned the sale of firearms and ammunition to civilians and imposes prison sentences of up to 20 years for unauthorized possession. Over the past decade, the Maduro regime aggressively <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2013/0807/Gun-control-Can-Venezuela-regulate-the-flow-of-arms">disarmed the population</a>, ensuring that ordinary citizens have no means to resist a usurping government or defend a democratic transition.
That means no uprising would succeed without the military’s involvement. Which is why in recent years Maduro expanded the Venezuelan officer corps, which reportedly boasts over <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/maduro-is-out-its-unclear-who-is-running-venezuela-2026-01-04/">2,000 generals and admirals</a> — more than double the number in the United States.
In a system saturated with generals, no single faction can act decisively without broad internal backing. Plotting a coup becomes exponentially harder when success requires the loyalty of dozens, if not hundreds, of senior figures rather than a centralized command.
And, because so many of those officers have been <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/project/revolution-to-riches/how-venezuela-bought-military-loyalty?utm_source=chatgpt.com">rewarded</a> with lucrative posts or interests in vast sectors of the economy, it would be difficult for an opposition faction or reform-minded general to rally enough support within the officer corps to mount a successful coup.
Fortunately, the fact that the Venezuelan military is more a patronage program than a fighting force allowed American forces to topple Maduro in just 88 minutes.
That was a major step in the right direction, but hardly a guarantee of future success.
Even with Maduro gone, any Venezuelan regime that hopes to endure will need the military’s buy-in. And because Maduro spent years purchasing officers’ loyalty, it won’t be easy for an opposition leader to swoop in and take control.
That’s why Maduro’s de facto vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was left in power after Maduro’s capture. Many expected opposition leader María Corina Machado — whose coalition overwhelmingly won the <a href="https://ar.usembassy.gov/assessing-the-results-of-venezuelas-presidential-election/">2024 elections</a> — to assume leadership. Instead, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/trump-venezuela-machado.html">declined to back her</a>, arguing she lacked sufficient internal support.
Allowing Rodríguez to serve as a temporary bridge likely reduces the number of officers required to defect at once, lowering the coordination threshold needed to maintain stability. And, at a time when the American body politic is highly suspicious of “regime change” and “forever wars,” respecting this reality ostensibly diminishes the need for troops on the ground.
Moreover, immediate installation would have been politically toxic for Machado. A staunch defender of democratic rule, she must earn her mandate from Venezuelans, not appear as a foreign appointee marching into Miraflores on the heels of American troops.
If Machado is to translate political momentum into lasting change, she will need to leverage Venezuela’s greatest asset: its oil reserves. The country holds an estimated <a href="https://www.opec.org/assets/assetdb/asb-2025.pdf">300 billion barrels of proven reserves</a>, the largest in the world.
But Venezuela’s oil is not an easy prize. Most of it is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/05/venezuelan-crude-oil-appeals-to-us-refineries">heavy or extra-heavy crude</a> — dense, sulfur-rich, and costly to extract, transport, and refine. <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/what-it-takes-to-revive-venezuelas-oil-and-gas-industry/">Oil production has fallen</a> from roughly 3.2 million barrels per day in 2000 to about 1 million today, and <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-big-oil-has-a-long-road-ahead-in-venezuela-the-fallen-angel-of-global-crude-markets-192628377.html">experts agree</a> that rebuilding lost capacity will take years of sustained investment and technical rehabilitation.
Reviving the sector will require tens of billions of dollars in <a href="https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/increasing-venezuelas-oil-output-will-take-several-years-and-billions-dollars">long-term investment</a>. But American companies will not make multi-billion-dollar investments based on speeches, personalities, or election cycles. They will invest if they believe the rules of the game will endure. In this sense, Venezuela’s recovery is inseparable from free-market reform and the rule of law.
This is why the transition underway is about far more than replacing one leader with another. It is about replacing an economic model. Venezuela’s oil sector — and its broader economy — cannot recover without sustained private investment, and sustained private investment requires credible commitment to free-market capitalism, property rights, and the rule of law. Anything less signals instability and thus keeps capital on the sidelines.
Incentives are aligned in a rare and encouraging way. American companies want stability, predictability, and enforceable contracts. Venezuelans want lasting freedom, prosperity, and insulation from the return of authoritarian socialism. Both depend on the same outcome: a durable shift away from state control and toward a market-based system that cannot be easily undone. The more Venezuela commits to capitalism, the safer long-term investment becomes. And the more capital flows in, the harder it becomes for any future government to reverse course without catastrophic cost.
That alignment matters. It creates a feedback loop in which economic openness reinforces political durability, and political durability reinforces economic confidence. This — not ideology, not personality, and not short-term geopolitics — is the most important driver of Venezuela’s future.
Venezuela’s trajectory depends on balancing three forces: military power, political legitimacy, and market-driven recovery. Mismanaging any one of them risks collapse. The United States and its allies must avoid the temptation to pursue oil while tolerating authoritarian continuity. That path would only produce a new class of kleptocrats.
Done correctly, however, this moment offers a rare alignment of interests. Venezuelans want dignity and self-government. Investors want stability and lawful capitalism. And the United States has an opportunity to support a transition that is neither naïve nor imperial, but grounded in realism.
The door is open. What comes next will decide whether hope can walk through it and materialize as the liberty and prosperity millions of Venezuelans, like myself, have been praying, yearning, and working for decades.
Olga Benacerraf de Strulovic is a J.D. Candidate at the University of Chicago Law School. She was born and raised in Venezuela&#8217;s capital city of Caracas, and was one of many Venezuelans who fled the country during Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s rule. 
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Caracas

With Maduro Gone, Will Venezuelans Choose Freedom?

maria corina machado

US-VENEZUELA-POLITICS-CONFLICT-OIL

LIVE UPDATES: Trump Warns Of Dangers Of Aligning With Venezuelan Opposition, Cites Iraq As Example

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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado expressed optimism in Washington, D.C., on Friday following her meetings with President Donald Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week.
“We are definitely now into the first steps of a true transition to democracy that will have not only immense impact in the lives of Venezuelans,” she said at a press conference at The Heritage Foundation. Machado said she was “impressed” by how much the president knew about the situation in Venezuela, saying the president “understands the moment” and the “implication for the whole hemisphere.”
“It took a lot of courage to do what he did,” she said regarding the Jan. 3 military operation that resulted in the capture and arrest of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Machado, who won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, gifted Trump her Nobel medal as the two discussed the next steps for the South American nation.
Shortly after Maduro was brought to the U.S. to face federal narcoterrorism charges, Trump said that Machado did not have the “respect” of the country to be its leader. Prior to Maduro&#8217;s arrest, <a href="https://x.com/cameron_arcand/status/2007660393787715848?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the relationship between the U.S. and Machado, with Rubio noting that it had been a while since he and the opposition leader had spoken, saying she &#8220;was in hiding.&#8221;
Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, is now the acting president of the country, albeit with staunch oversight from the United States.
After their Thursday meeting, Trump posted to Truth Social that “It was [his] Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented [him] with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
However, when asked about the leftist acting president, Machado said, “This has nothing to do with tension or decision between Delcy Rodriguez or myself &#8230; This is about the cartel and justice. This is about a criminal regime, and the mandate of the Venezuelan people.”
Trump has adopted more of a conciliatory tone toward Rodriguez, saying that they spoke earlier this week and that “she’s a terrific person,” according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/14/trump-delcy-rodriguez-venezuela-00730397" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>.
“This morning I had a very good call with the Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” the president said in a Wednesday post to Truth Social. “Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
Although it’s still very early in the process of navigating Venezuela&#8217;s future, Machado explained that she thinks that the “regime is forced to dismantle themselves” and that there are major steps needed to truly become a democratic nation once again, including the closure of “torture centers,” the liberation of political prisoners, and “guarantees for journalists to speak out.”
“There is a criminal structure of terror … not only of the civilian population but also in the military,” she said. When it comes to having fair elections in Venezuela, she stressed that it’s important for Venezuelans still in the country and around the globe to believe democracy is on the horizon, and she believes people will be willing to return to the country if that is the case.
Maduro remained in power following the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, with international concerns that it was not conducted fairly. Maduro was up against Edmundo Gonzalez, a political ally of Machado.
In the press conference Friday, she stressed the importance of voting rights for Venezuelans. When it comes to her own political ambitions, she told &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/foxandfriends/status/2012180372755268040?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox &amp; Friends</a>&#8221; in an interview that aired Friday morning that she is confident she will lead the South American nation one day.
&#8220;I believe I will be elected, when the right time comes, as president of Venezuela,&#8221; she told the outlet.

TOPSHOT-NORWAY-VENEZUELA-NOBEL-PEACE-PRIZE

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Says Next Steps Have To Address ‘The Cartel And Justice’

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Liberals have taken many radical, nonsensical positions in recent years. Few are as baffling as their outrage over President Trump’s removal of Nicolás Maduro, the illegitimate, narco-terrorist dictator of Venezuela — a move the long-suffering citizens of Venezuela are openly cheering.
But not so among progressives, such as the clueless governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, <a href="https://x.com/GovPritzker/status/2007864220017115141?s=20">who claims</a> Trump&#8217;s action was designed, &#8220;To distract from Epstein, the explosion of health and homeowners insurance costs, and the tariffs that are decimating small businesses &#8230;&#8221;
Or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who downplays Maduro’s tyrannical brutality <a href="https://x.com/AOC/status/2007472955882692798">by claiming,</a>&#8221; It’s about oil and regime change. And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.&#8221;
So, who exactly are Pritzker, AOC, and others of their ilk defending? Why are they saying we should have left him in power?
In 2023, Joe Biden&#8217;s State Department produced a 76-page <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/528267_VENEZUELA-2023-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf">assessment</a> of specific human rights abuses committed by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his thugs (many of whom were apparently Cuban mercenaries) against their hapless victims. The assessment documents a staggering range of abuses, including:
<blockquote>&#8230;unlawful or arbitrary killings… enforced disappearance; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by security forces; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention by security forces… political prisoners… punishment of family members for alleged offenses by a relative… use of children by illegal armed groups; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats of violence against journalists… harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; extensive gender-based violence… trafficking in persons… and the worst forms of child labor.</blockquote>
The report makes for a tough read, given its summation of the viciousness, cruelty, and ruthlessness of Maduro and his henchmen. 
Want more? What about the details in the federal <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl">criminal indictment</a> of Maduro issued by a grand jury in New York?
The superseding indictment charges Maduro and a host of other confederates with running a drug cartel “to import tons of cocaine into the United States.” Makes sense from Maduro’s point of view: his disastrous policies turned Venezuela into an economic basket case, making a once-prosperous country a bankrupt third-world hellhole. Thus, Maduro had to get money from somewhere to line his pockets and finance his depredations.
According to the indictment, Maduro essentially turned the Venezuelan government into a massive drug and illegal weapons smuggling operation, doing everything from using Venezuelan law enforcement to protect his distribution system to issuing “diplomatic passports to drug traffickers” and providing “diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers to repatriate drug proceeds.”
All of the money was used to enrich himself, his family, and the “political and military elite” who kept him in power. That also included partnering “with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world,” extremely dangerous criminal cartels and terrorist groups that have kidnapped and murdered Americans, like FARC, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas, or Cartel del Noreste, and Tren de Aragua.
By the way, the Caribbean drug smugglers that our military has been taking out? Part of the indictment talks about the 200 to 250 tons of cocaine “trafficked” to the U.S. annually by Maduro and his cartel cronies through “maritime shipments…north from Venezuela’s coastline using go-fast vessels, fishing boats, and container ships.” Additionally, “air shipments were often dispatched from clandestine airstrips, typically made of dirt or grass, and also from commercial airports under the control” of Maduro and his corrupt officials.
I don’t think the majority of Americans have a lot of sympathy for the criminals smuggling drugs on these “go-fast vessels, fishing boats, and container ships.”
From the drugs poisoning our citizens, especially our youth, to the citizens of Venezuela who have been censored, arrested, tortured, and killed, Maduro has been a scourge who has caused untold harm and suffering.
The political parties and both sides of the political aisle may disagree on many domestic issues. But when it comes to the removal of Nicolás Maduro Moros, progressives, liberals, and Democrats, along with conservatives and Republicans, should be praising the president for finally taking action to rid our hemisphere of this menace.
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Hans von Spakovsky is a Senior Legal Fellow in the Meese Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Why Are Democrats Defending A Narco-Terrorist Dictator?

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CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday in Caracas to discuss economic cooperation and intensifying efforts against drug trafficking, a U.S. official confirmed to The Daily Wire. 
The official told The Daily Wire that the meeting focused on &#8220;trust building measures and laying the groundwork for continued communication and room for collaboration between the two governments.&#8221; Rodriguez, who spoke with President Donald Trump during a phone call on Wednesday, became the interim leader of Venezuela after American forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro.
“At President Trump’s direction, Director Ratcliffe traveled to Venezuela to meet with interim President Delcy Rodriguez to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship,&#8221; a U.S. official told The Daily Wire. &#8220;During the meeting in Caracas, Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narcotraffickers.”
The official added that the trip was part of the continuation of Trump&#8217;s &#8220;aggressive foreign policy.&#8221; Ratcliffe and &#8220;a small team&#8221; met with Rodriguez and other Venezuelan officials for about two hours, according to the official. Ratcliffe reiterated the need for Venezuela to crack down on drug trafficking, including the violent Tren de Aragua. The official added that the trip showed Ratcliffe is willing to take risks.
The New York Times was the first outlet to report on the trip.
Before Maduro&#8217;s capture, the CIA carried out a reported strike on a Venezuelan port that U.S. officials said was used to load drugs onto boats bound for North America.
Earlier this month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-leverages-oil-deal-to-make-venezuela-buy-american">announced</a> a controversial oil deal with Venezuela in which the country would provide the United States with between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned crude oil. With the money made from oil sales, Trump said that Venezuela would purchase American agricultural, medical, and electrical equipment. 
Ratcliffe’s meeting with Rodriguez came after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-ends-up-with-nobel-after-all-as-venezuelas-machado-gifts-prize-at-white-house">met</a> with Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado. 
“María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,&#8221; said Trump. &#8220;Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, María!”
Top Trump officials have reiterated the administration’s commitment to long-term democratic elections in Venezuela; however, the president has not set a timeline for when elections might take place.
​​“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-predicts-quick-but-expensive-venezuela-oil-rebuild-we-have-to-nurse-the-country-back?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=23&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Predicts+Quick%2C+But+Expensive+Venezuela+Oil+Rebuild%3A+‘We+Have+To+Nurse+The+Country+Back’">said</a> in an interview last week. “No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have to nurse the country back to health.”

US Seizes Russia-Flagged Tanker After Chase Across Atlantic

CIA Director Meets With Venezuela’s Interim Leader As U.S. Shifts Policy

John Ratcliffe

Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado gifted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump at the White House Thursday.
Machado met with the president a day after Trump spoke with Venezuela&#8217;s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, over the phone. Machado had previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobel-peace-prize-winner-dedicates-award-to-trump-for-his-decisive-support">dedicated</a> her award to Trump last year “for his decisive support of our cause.”
“I presented the President of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters on Thursday, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-machado-venezuela-maduro-nobel-peace-prize-ed23992bccabf128b7e849259d3c29a8">Associated Press</a>. She said Trump deserved the accolade “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump thanked Machado for the award and complimented the opposition leader in a post on Truth Social.
“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much,” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115902023696178994">said</a> Trump. “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
Top Trump officials have repeated the administration’s commitment to long-term democratic elections in Venezuela, however, the president has not placed a timeline on when elections might happen. Securing trustworthy democratic elections is one of the top priorities of Machado, whose party has been kept out of power in part due to election rigging by Venezuela’s Communist regime.
After ousting former Venezuela strongman Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and forcibly extraditing him to New York to face trial on drug-related charges, the Trump administration has left Rodriguez to steady the Venezuela government while using an oil embargo to force Caracas to align itself with U.S. interests.
Trump has declined to pressure Rodriguez to turn over the government to the opposition. The White House was reportedly convinced prior to Maduro’s arrest that Machado did not have the sway among Venezuela’s government and power brokers to stabilize the government. Some of the reforms that Washington has tasked Caracas with include ridding foreign influence from nations such as China and Cuba from Venezuela’s government.
Washington has kept up pressure on Venezuela by restricting Caracas&#8217; ability to sell oil on the international market. The United States has seized at least half a dozen oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude. The ships belong to a “ghost fleet” of foreign vessels that often use deception to carry sanctioned goods.
Instead, Washington has struck a deal with Rodriguez’s administration and will handle the sale of Venezuelan oil on international markets. The Trump administration says it can secure a higher price for Venezuela while keeping influence over Caracas by controlling the flow of its most important export.

María Corina Machado

Trump Ends Up With Nobel After All As Venezuela’s Machado Gifts Prize At White House

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