Donald Trump says US will ‘control’ Venezuela until ‘safe transfer of power’
US President Donald Trump has said the United States will “control” Venezuela until “a safe, orderly and prudent transition of power can occur.”
No US service members were killed in the operation, Trump said, and the US is “prepared” to launch a second “and much larger” attack on Venezuela if necessary.
Trump said all political and military leaders in Venezuela should understand that what happened to Maduro could happen to them.
“The Venezuelan people are free again,” he said. He added that America is “safe” and “a proud nation” today.
President Trump called the operation in which US forces captured the Venezuelan president “the most spectacular, effective and powerful demonstration of American military strength and capability in American history.”
President Trump also released a photo on social media purportedly showing Venezuelan President Maduro being held aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
Trump said the US “partnership” with Venezuela would make the Venezuelan people “prosperous, independent and safe”.
He added that Venezuelans living in the United States would be “very happy” about it.
“They will not suffer anymore,” Trump said at the news conference.
Trump called Maduro an “illegal dictator” responsible for sending “tremendous amounts of drugs” to the United States, and accused him of overseeing drug trafficking ‘cartels’.
Maduro has previously strongly denied allegations that he is a ‘cartel’ leader.
