‘Acting President of Venezuela’: Trump’s bizarre claim weeks after capturing Maduro

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Jan 11) posted a photo of an edited Wikipedia page of himself listed as the “Acting President of Venezuela” on his Truth Social platform. This comes amid the heightened tensions with the South American nation after a US military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and bombed Caracas. Trump had earlier announced that the US is “in charge” of Venezuela and that he will control the oil reserves in the country.

Earlier this month, on January 3, US forces seized the Venezuelan leader in what it described as its war against drug cartels and drug lords. In an operation titled Operation Absolute Resolve, the American forces entered Venezuela, bombed Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their presidential palace under the orders of Trump.

Washington has accused Maduro of running a drug cartel and had placed a bounty of $50 million on him. Maduro was flown to USS Iwo Jima, then to Guantánamo Bay, and finally by government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in NY. He is held at Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center and is facing charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracies. He made his first appearance in Manhattan federal court on Jan 5, where he pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, Trump suggested that he was open to a meeting with the country’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez. Despite being a close Maduro ally, Rodriguez has shown a willingness to work with the US, saying she is open to cooperating on Trump’s demands for access to Venezuelan oil.

“Venezuela is really working out well. We’re working along really well with the leadership,” Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One.

When asked if he planned to meet with Rodriguez, Trump said: “At some point I’ll be.”

Trump also said that he expected to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Tuesday or Wednesday.