Today's Edition
WASHINGTON (REUTERS)
The US attacked Venezuela and deposed its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation on Saturday, President Donald Trump said, in Washington's most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Trump held a press conference to discuss the developments at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he was flanked by senior officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The US President said Maduro was in custody and that American officials would take control of Venezuela.
"We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," he said.
The removal of Maduro, who led Venezuela for more than 12 years, potentially opens a power vacuum in the Latin American country. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is Maduro’s presumptive successor.
Maduro, a 63-year-old former bus driver, was handpicked by former Venezuelan president dying Hugo Chavez to succeed him in 2013. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world.
Trump also said he would allow American oil companies to head into Venezuela to tap its massive crude reserves.
The streets of Venezuela appeared calm as the sun rose. Soldiers patrolled some parts and some small crowds began gathering in Caracas.
