‘Billions of dollars’ worth of oil’: Trump lays out ultimate goal for governing Venezuela

President Donald Trump said Thursday he intends to remain deeply involved in Venezuela’s future until the country is stabilized.

The Trump administration captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday and announced afterward that it would govern the country until it carries out what officials described as a “judicious” transition. During an interview on “Hannity,” Trump pointed to the release of political prisoners as an initial sign that conditions are changing, saying people long believed permanently jailed are now being let out.

“Prisoners that nobody thought they would ever see again are being released. And in many cases, good people, is what I understand. But prisoners, nobody ever thought they’d be released. So we’re going to be working with them and leadership of the country. And so far we’ve been working very well,” Trump told Sean Hannity. “You know, we picked up the Russian freighter that trudged out there. Well, they had some Russian ships guarding it, and they decided not to mess around with us. And we took that one. That’s unloading the oil. But we’re taking billions and billions of dollars’ worth of oil.”

Trump said the United States will remain deeply involved in Venezuela until the country is stabilized.

WATCH:

“It’ll be trillions of dollars. But we’re going to be there till we straighten out the country. We’ll see how the country’s doing,” Trump said. “But we’ll be running the oil. We’re meeting tomorrow with all of the big oil executives. We’re going to be right here in the White House. We’re going to meet with the biggest oil people in the world.”

Trump said major U.S. energy companies will move to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.

“They’re all coming here. The top 14 companies are coming here. They’re going to go in. They’re going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure. They’re going to spend at least $100 billion. And it’s an unbelievable oil that they have and an unbelievable quality of oil and amount of oil,” Trump said.

Trump said the United States may maintain control over Venezuela for an extended period following the capture of the country’s leader, according to an interview with the New York Times. Speaking during a two-hour sit-down, Trump indicated American oversight could last for years, though he added the duration remains uncertain.

After authorities captured Maduro, congressional Democrats said Trump carried out an unlawful effort to overthrow a foreign government. Trump later said that repairing Venezuela’s infrastructure would allow the country to generate significant revenue.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.