With him out of power, the Trump administration is moving quickly to put together a transitional government in — one that officials say should “rebuild” a shattered oil industry and stabilize a country that for years was ruled by a group that the US says plundered its wealth and facilitated the movement of illegal cargo through its soil.
to remove Maduro was quick, precise and decisive. But what comes next is fraught with danger and potentially serious mistakes, warn current and former US officials.
President Trump portrayed the formation of a transitional government in Venezuela as relatively straightforward, telling reporters on Saturday that billions would be used to rebuild industry and “make Venezuelans rich.” He also said he would personally oversee the next phase in the country’s history after Maduro was ousted in a risky nighttime raid by US special forces. Otherwise, he gave few details.
“We will run the country until we can make a safe, proper and prudent transition,” he said. “And it must be prudent, because that is what characterizes us. We want peace, freedom and justice for the great people of Venezuela.”
Although he and other US officials tasked with working on the transition have not said so openly, managing a country of 28 million people — twice the size of California — is an extremely complex business. Allies of Maduro have already strongly condemned his arrest and moved to regain control after the US operation, raising early doubts about whether the US can rule the country without new military involvement. U.S. and Colombian officials say the regime is backed by armed cocaine-trafficking groups — including groups made up of hardened former Colombian rebels — as well as an army that military experts say has more than 100,000 men. And while polls show Venezuelans want Maduro out of power, a significant chunk — possibly millions — still support the regime, according to the same data.
The lack of clear answers about what comes next has led some U.S. officials to question why a detailed plan wasn’t made long before Maduro’s ouster.
The US has the experience of a costly, 20-year “state-building” experiment in Afghanistan that ended in failure, but also a checkered history in Latin America, where during the Cold War the overthrow of leaders was associated with violence and instability. On the other hand, there have also been examples of American intervention—such as the invasion of Panama in 1989—that led to a quick transition to democratic rule. Trump administration officials insist this time will be different. A senior official said Trump’s national security team, which includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is working out the “post-Maduro” form of government. Trump himself has said that “boots on the ground” may be needed, with the US military “ready for a second wave” to take control, though he added that it probably won’t be.
So far, the president has not revealed exactly what the transition government will look like, whether the U.S. will pay the cost of a major economic recovery, or when or how more U.S. troops will be deployed to the country. Officials from the Pentagon and other military agencies continued Saturday to assess how long U.S. forces would need to remain in the region, according to defense officials. Other US officials have maintained that there are currently no plans to send additional military personnel and no intention to ask Congress for money for Venezuela.
Some Democrats strongly condemned Trump. “I lived through the consequences of an illegal war that was sold to the American people with lies,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (Arizona), a former Marine who served in Iraq, wrote on social media. “We vowed not to repeat these mistakes. And yet, here we are again. The American people didn’t ask for it, Congress didn’t approve it, and our military shouldn’t be put in danger of another unnecessary conflict.”
Current and former US diplomats estimate that the timing and cost of US “surveillance” of Venezuela will depend on Trump’s long-term goals. They could be either an ambitious plan to rebuild the economy and transition to a functioning democracy, or a more limited goal, such as securing oil infrastructure.
Who will rule Venezuela after the transition remains an open question. Trump did not mention Edmundo Gonzalez, the 76-year-old former diplomat who election observers say beat Maduro cleanly in the July 2024 presidential election. Maduro declared victory and then drove Gonzalez into exile. Trump also expressed doubts about whether María Corina Machado, a leading opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has the legitimacy to lead the country.
“I think it would be very difficult for her to be the leader. He doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country,” he said.
Trump indicated at the press conference that he could work with Venezuela’s Vice President Delsy Rodriguez. However, a few hours later, she strongly condemned Maduro’s arrest and demanded that the US release him.
“The only president of Venezuela is President Nicolas Maduro,” she said, flanked by Cabejo, Lopez and other officials, presenting what appeared to be a united front against the American enterprise.
He called the US operation against Maduro “barbaric” and said the regime is ready to defend Venezuela. “Never again will we be slaves, never again will we be a colony of any empire,” he stressed.
