A week after the United States detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump shared a doctored image on Sunday declaring himself “acting president of Venezuela.”
The manipulated photo, posted on his Truth Social platform, mimicked a Wikipedia page showing Trump as Venezuela’s acting leader as of January 2026.
Following Maduro’s capture alongside his wife Cilia Flores, Trump announced the US would oversee Venezuela’s affairs during the transition period.
“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and end up with the same situation we’ve had for a long period of years,” Trump said, emphasizing that any transition “has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about.”
Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s vice-president and oil minister, was subsequently sworn in as interim president. While Trump described Rodriguez as “gracious,” he warned her she would fare “probably worse” than Maduro if she failed to cooperate with US demands.
Trump’s warning accompanied his announcement that Venezuela will transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States. He also demanded Venezuela cut ties with China, Cuba, Russia, and Iran, while partnering exclusively with the US on oil production.
Rodriguez indicated her country would open its oil market to Washington.
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