Trump says he is ‘already making Venezuela rich and safe again’

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is “already making Venezuela rich and safe again.”

“I love the Venezuelan people, and am already making Venezuela rich and safe again. Congratulations and thank you to all of those people who are making this possible,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

That was after he said Friday that "a lot of money is going to be made," after huddling with more than one dozen oil executives at the White House to discuss investment in Venezuela.

"It was a great meeting we had today with the biggest companies anywhere in the world," Trump told reporters as he left the executive mansion for his Mar-a-Lago estate in the state of Florida. "They're going to be going in with hundreds of billions of dollars and drilling oil."

The US carried out a Jan. 3 military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Trump said his administration would "run" Venezuela and its oil assets during a transition period.

The couple was subsequently flown out of the country to New York, where they had an initial hearing on drug and weapons charges. They pleaded not guilty Monday to all charges.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that declared a national emergency to “safeguard Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. Treasury accounts from attachment or judicial process, ensuring these funds are preserved to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

It affirmed “the funds are sovereign property of Venezuela held in U.S. custody for governmental and diplomatic purposes, not subject to private claims,” according to the White House.

“Trump is preventing the seizure of Venezuelan oil revenue that could undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela,” the statement added.