Following the Raid on Venezuela, Is the U.S. Now in Control of the Country?

President Trump's decision to launch a raid on Venezuela and capture the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, has been controversial to say the least. In the immediate aftermath of the raid, Trump seemed to indicate that he believed the U.S. was going to "run" the country so "safe, proper, and judicious transition" could occur.

We don't know exactly what those terms mean, and Trump also seemed to suggest that members of his cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, would actually be running the country. All of that has left many confused about the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela. Here's what we know.

The U.S. does not own Venezuela, even though President Trump has suggested that his administration will be running the country. Trump did not claim to be conquering the country for the U.S. Instead, his goal appears to have been to depose Maduro in part because he believed Maduro to be an illegitimate ruler, and in part because of the untapped oil resources inside the country that U.S. companies want to get their hands on.

Maduro did have a vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, and she is now the country's interim president while Maduro stands trial. Trump initially indicated that he would like to work with her to figure out the country's future. After initially striking a defiant tone, Rodriguez is now speaking more kindly about the administration, and it seems like Trump's plan is to partner with her on the country's future.

Of course, Rodriguez was part of Maduro's administration, so this would not be a regime change operation per se. Her views and style very much align with Maduro's, so it seems like Rodriguez might have been chosen as a partner less because of her ideology and more because the administration believed she would be a willing partner both with the U.S. government and with the oil interests from the U.S.

No, Venezuela is not part of the U.S., and you shouldn't expect it to show up on any maps or become the 51st state. Instead, this seems to be an extension of Trump's belief that the U.S. has a sphere of influence that includes all of South America. He is essentially claiming that, while Venezuela is not part of the U.S., the U.S. does have a right to control what happens inside the country.

Maduro has been indicted on drug trafficking charges related to drugs that made it into the U.S., but the nature of the raid apprehending him suggests that Trump sees no reason not to meddle in the affairs of other countries. So, while Venezuela is not formally part of the U.S., Trump appears willing to use the might of the United States to make sure things happen in Venezuela the way he wants them to.