In a provocative post on social media, former US President Donald Trump stirred fresh controversy over the recent military operation in Venezuela by floating the idea of himself as the country’s de-facto leader, at least in jest.
The comments come in the wake of a dramatic early-January US assault that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Trump shared an edited snapshot of a Wikipedia page on Truth Social that labelled him the ‘Acting President of Venezuela,’ emphasising the bold, if unconventional, rhetoric that has surrounded the fallout from the overseas mission. This post followed an earlier salvo in which he suggested appointing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as ‘President of Cuba.’
The capture of Maduro, announced by Trump after US forces conducted a coordinated strike on Caracas, marked an extraordinary moment in Western Hemisphere geopolitics. Maduro and Flores were detained during the operation and transported out of Venezuela, a development confirmed by multiple US news outlets.
Venezuela’s new interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, has voiced willingness to work with the United States, calling for cooperation “within the framework of international law” in an Instagram statement shortly after taking office.
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However, observers note that Rodríguez’s stance has been met with significant pushback inside Venezuela, and her relationship with US authorities remains complicated even as calls for ‘proof of life’ for Maduro and Flores circulate.
Trump also claimed that Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado, a prominent critic of Maduro, is expected in the US ‘next week sometime,’ suggesting ongoing diplomatic engagement between Washington and opposition leaders as part of broader political efforts following the capture.
In a Truth Social post this week, Trump issued a stern message to Cuba, threatening that Venezuelan oil supplies the island had long relied on would soon be cut off unless Havana reaches a deal with the US. ‘Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!’ he wrote, adding that many of those Cuban operatives had perished during the US attack.
While the tone of some of Trump’s remarks has been jocular or inflammatory, including wry acknowledgments of social-media predictions such as Rubio potentially leading Cuba, they reflect broader tensions and geopolitical manoeuvres in the region following one of the most dramatic episodes in recent US-Latin America relations.
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