U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump stands behind him during a news conference following a U.S. attack on Venezuela that captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, the president appeared to back down Donald TrumpThe claim that the US would “drive out” Venezuela behind US forces on Saturday. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped to the USA
Asked for details about how the U.S. plans to govern Venezuela, Rubio said the U.S. would use the influence it has gained through its oil blockade of the country and regional military buildup to achieve its political goals. He did not say that the US would govern Venezuela directly.
The US has taken action in recent months Tanker connected to the country and moved military ships and fighter aircraft to the Caribbean.
“What’s going to happen here is that we’re going to have a quarantine on their oil, which means their economy can’t move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met, and that’s what we want to do,” Rubio said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“That leverage remains, that leverage continues and we expect it will produce results here,” Rubio said.
Trump said on Saturday said the U.S. would “govern the country until we can carry out a safe, orderly and sensible transition.”
The comments sparked a firestorm criticism from Trump’s opponents and some allies who warned against a nation-building exercise in Venezuela.
“We have learned over the years that America has attempted regime change and nation-building in this way that the American people are paying the price in both blood and dollars,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday on ABC.
After Maduro’s capture, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as president. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, arrived in New York on Saturday evening Allegations related to drug trafficking.
Rubio’s comments suggest the U.S. will take a softer stance toward Venezuela than Trump’s initial proposals to rule the country with a “group.” Although Rubio said Trump may still take further military action to achieve U.S. goals.
When asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about further military action in Venezuela, Rubio said that Trump “reserves all options.”
Rubio also addressed U.S. goals regarding Venezuela’s oil reserves. Trump said on Saturday that the US would “let our very large American oil companies – the largest anywhere in the world – step in, Spend billions of dollarsfix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure.”
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world.
“Ultimately, this is not about securing the oil fields; this is about ensuring that sanctioned oil cannot flow in and out until changes are made to how the entire industry is run,” Rubio said on ABC. “The way to address the problem for the benefit of the Venezuelan people is to get private companies, not from Iran or any other country, to invest in the equipment.”
Rubio said he has not spoken to specific U.S. oil companies about the prospect of doing business in Venezuela. Currently only Chevron operates in the country.
“We’re pretty sure there will be huge interest from Western companies,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are “doing an assessment and talking to some of these companies.”
Clarification: The US military captured Nicolas Maduro and transported him from Venezuela. This was not clear from a reference in an earlier version of this article.
