Trump Says U.S. Assumed Control of Venezuela
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One, Trump asserted American authority over the South American nation when questioned about communications with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, whom Venezuela's supreme court designated as interim leader Saturday.
"We're dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial," Trump told reporters.
When pressed about what he meant, he responded: "We're in charge."
The American president outlined demands for unrestricted access to Venezuelan resources as conditions for the nation's reconstruction. "We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," he said when asked what he needs from Rodriguez.
Trump issued a stark warning to Rodriguez, stating she "will face a situation probably worse than Maduro" if she doesn't cooperate with the US.
Major American petroleum corporations will spearhead Venezuela's infrastructure overhaul without taxpayer funding, Trump announced, projecting multibillion-dollar private sector investments. "The big oil companies (are) going to go in and they're going to fix the infrastructure. They're going to invest money. We're not going to invest anything. We're going to just take care of the country," he said.
The president revealed that numerous Cuban security forces protecting Maduro were killed during Saturday's early-morning operation. "No deaths on our side, but there was a lot of death on the other side, unfortunately. But a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday trying to protect him," he added.
Casualties from the American military incursion have climbed to 80, The New York Times reported Sunday, with a senior Venezuelan official indicating the toll may continue rising, according to the outlet.
Maduro and his spouse Cilia Flores arrived in New York late Saturday and remain detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. Federal prosecutors have charged them with narcotics trafficking and alleged collaboration with organizations classified as terrorist groups.
Maduro has denied the accusations, and officials in Venezuela's capital Caracas have called for the couple's release.
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