After the raid that abducted Venezuela’s leader, Trump openly linked US involvement to energy access, fueling criticism over legality, motives, and the precedent set by abducting a head of state.
US President Donald Trump openly indicated that Washington intends to assert control over Venezuela’s oil sector following the military operation that led to the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, reinforcing long-standing concerns that the meddling was driven by energy interests rather than security or “democracy”.
Speaking to Fox News on Saturday, Trump said the United States would be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry after the operation, presenting American corporate access as a central outcome of the assault.
“We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved.”
The remarks amount to an unusually direct admission that access to oil resources was a core consideration in the US action, contradicting earlier justifications.
Venezuela’s oil infrastructure spared amid US operation, sources say
Venezuela’s state-run oil production and refining facilities – with the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at around 303 billion barrels, roughly 17% of global supply, surpassing even Saudi Arabia – remained operational and undamaged during the US aggression against Venezuela, according to sources familiar with Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). Observers note that the decision to avoid striking the country’s energy infrastructure aligns with President Donald Trump’s stated goal of securing access for US oil companies.
While the port of La Guaira, a major Venezuelan port not typically used for oil exports, was reportedly severely damaged, key oil facilities were left untouched. Analysts suggest the restraint reflects Washington’s intention to preserve Venezuela’s oil assets for US corporate involvement rather than any concern for infrastructure safety or humanitarian impact.
PDVSA also continued to operate, underscoring that US strikes deliberately spared Venezuela’s oil assets, preserving them for US exploitation.
‘Like a Television Show’: Trump Celebrates Maduro’s Kidnapping
Trump adopted a triumphant tone after Maduro’s abduction, describing the operation in vivid and personal terms that underscored his direct involvement and apparent fascination with the spectacle of force.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. I was able to watch it in real time; I watched it, literally, like I was watching a television show. And if you would have seen the speed, the violence,” he said.
The 79-year-old Republican said US forces took Maduro from a heavily fortified location and transferred him and his wife to a ship bound for New York, where they face “drug- and terrorism-related charges.” Trump added that he had personally warned Maduro to surrender during a call the previous week.
A detailed account of the raid
Trump offered an unusually granular description of the operation, which followed US airstrikes on Venezuela and concluded months of escalating pressure.
“He was in a very highly guarded… like a fortress actually. He was in a fortress,” he said.
Trump described steel doors, reinforced safety rooms, and preparations to breach the compound using industrial equipment.
“We were prepared with massive blowtorches to get through the steel, but we didn’t need them,” he added.
Trump said the operation had initially been approved days earlier but was delayed due to weather conditions.
‘Not going to be pushed around’
Emphasizing dominance rather than restraint, Trump framed the raid as a warning to other countries.
“Sends a signal we’re not going to be pushed around as a country anymore,” he said.
He also linked the operation to broader threats against alleged drug trafficking, including a warning directed at Mexico.
Senior US officials echoed Trump’s celebratory tone while dismissing questions about the legality of abducting a foreign head of state.
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X: “You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face charges in the Southern District of New York, including “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy” and cocaine trafficking.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” he added.
Oil, power, and presidential character
Trump has offered shifting justifications for his campaign against Venezuela, ranging from drug trafficking claims to allegations that Caracas seized US oil interests. His own words, however, pledging US corporate involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector immediately after a military assault, have placed economic motive at the centre of the US attack.
His open discussion of abducting a foreign leader, his relish in the violence of the operation, and his framing of war as spectacle have raised sharp questions among critics about respect for international law, democratic norms, and the temperament required of a US president.
The operation also sits uneasily alongside Trump’s repeated self-description as a “peace president”. Asked about his resolution for 2026, Trump told reporters: “Peace on Earth.”
The contrast between that claim and his actions in Venezuela has only intensified scrutiny of the true drivers behind the war and the character guiding it.