President Trump told The Post in an exclusive interview that US troops won’t be stationed in Venezuela so long as ousted strongman Nicolás Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, “does what we want” in the aftermath of a daring US raid that captured Maduro.
Trump made the clarification moments after a press conference where he said that “we are going to run the country” ahead of a democratic transition, introducing the prospect of a US occupation.
Asked by The Post if “US troops [will] be on the ground helping run the country,” Trump said: “No, if Maduro’s vice president — if the vice president does what we want, we won’t have to do that.”
“We’re prepared,” Trump added. “You know, we have a second wave that’s much bigger than the first wave.”
The president said that “we’ve spoken to her [Rodriguez] numerous times, and she understands, she understands.”
Rodriguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim leader, Trump said at his press conference. Her precise whereabouts are unknown, but Reuters cited four sources as saying she was in Russia at the time of the attack.
The Trump-ordered surprise mission in Venezuela was conducted around 2 a.m. local time featuring more than 150 military aircraft — knocking out the power in Caracas before special operators captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom will face federal drug-smuggling charges.
No American troops died and no US equipment was lost, despite one aircraft being damaged, officials said.
Trump’s overnight mission caught the world by surprise and follows a US bombing campaign that began Sept. 2, targeting ships off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia that allegedly were transporting cocaine.
‘Cuba is going to fall of its own volition’
Trump told The Post that he is not considering additional military action against Cuba, Venezuela’s longtime ally, which was heavily dependent on Caracas for economic support and fuel.
“No, Cuba is going to fall of its own volition. Cuba is doing very poorly,” Trump said.
Moments earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at Trump’s press conference that “if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit” — adding uncertainty about the future of US policy toward the communist island.
“Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That’s where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn’t work out too well in this case,” Trump told The Post.
“You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that? Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.”
Trump said he did not know the precise death toll among Cuban and Venezuelan forces.
Trump justified the US strike in Venezuela as protecting Americans from drugs and illegal immigrant gang members. He said US companies faced prior confiscation of resources from the Venezuelan government and would be involved in rebuilding the country’s oil infrastructure.
“The ‘Donroe’ doctrine is a Monroe Doctrine on steroids,” he said in the interview.
Machado ‘doesn’t have the support or the respect’
Trump’s proposed democratic transition in Venezuela remains murky — in part because he declared at the post-raid press conference that leading opposition figure Maria Corina Machado is ill-suited to replace Maduro, who ruled since 2013.
It would be very tough for her to be the leader. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” he said.
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October — as the Norwegian committee snubbed Trump’s overt campaign to secure the honor for himself. In a conciliatory gesture, she dedicated the award to Trump.
Maduro’s ouster introduces significant uncertainty in Venezuela, which has seen an exodus of citizens and economic turmoil.
Maduro, a former bus driver and trade union leader, held power since revolutionary Hugo Chavez’s death from cancer. Chavez kicked off the nation’s left-wing “Bolivarian Revolution” after winning the 1998 presidential election.
Trump’s critics in Congress reacted with outrage over his raid to capture Maduro — expressing alarm at the fact that he didn’t notify them ahead of time, after his prior surprise bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites in June.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and the War Powers Resolution of 1973 specifies that presidents must notify lawmakers of military actions within 48 hours and to gain authorization for engagements lasting more than 60 days.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a longtime advocate for congressional approval of foreign wars, tweeted Saturday that he spoke with Rubio and is comfortable with Trump’s actions.
“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee pronounced.
Many Democrats blasted Trump, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accusing him of “flagrant disregard for the Article One war powers of Congress which is essential to our constitutional system of checks and balances.”
Courts in the past have refrained from intervening when members of Congress accuse presidents of exceeding their military authority — holding it a political question that can be resolved by legislative withholding of funds or other action.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a frequent Trump critic, said Saturday that “my main concern now is that Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan… dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.”
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