Trump Says U.S. Oversight of Venezuela Will Last 'Much Longer' Than a Year

President Donald Trump said the United States expects to maintain direct oversight of Venezuela for an extended period, signaling that Washington's role in running the country and managing its oil resources will last "much longer" than a year.

In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times on Wednesday evening, Trump declined to set a specific timeline for how long the United States would remain in charge. Asked whether the arrangement would last months or a year, he replied, "I would say much longer," adding that the interim Venezuelan authorities are "giving us everything that we feel is necessary."

Trump said the administration plans to extract and sell Venezuelan oil while providing funds back to the country. "We will rebuild it in a very profitable way," he told the news outlet, explaining that the United States would use Venezuelan crude to lower global prices while directing revenue to meet Venezuela's needs. He also acknowledged that reviving the country's oil sector would take years.

The remarks came hours after senior administration officials told lawmakers that the United States intends to effectively control the sale of Venezuela's oil for the foreseeable future. According to briefings led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the administration envisions a three-part process of stabilization, recovery and transition following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Rubio told reporters the first phase would involve what he described as a "quarantine," including continued seizures of sanctioned oil and the sale of up to 30 to 50 million barrels on the open market. The proceeds, he said, would be controlled by the United States and distributed in ways intended to benefit Venezuelans rather than former regime figures. A second phase would focus on reopening the Venezuelan market and rebuilding civil society, while details of a third phase — the political transition — remain undefined.

Trump did not commit to a timeline for elections in Venezuela and avoided explaining why he recognized former Maduro ally Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader instead of backing opposition figures. He said the administration is in "constant communication" with Rodríguez through Rubio.