A clearer picture is emerging of what Trump meant when he said the US will ‘run’ Venezuela

President Donald Trump’s administration is working quickly to establish a pliant interim government in Venezuela following the dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro, according to US officials, prioritizing administrative stability and repairing the country’s oil infrastructure over an immediate turn to democracy.

Officials described a multifold effort using American military and economic leverage to influence the remnants of Maduro’s regime left inside Venezuela. In particular, US officials have focused squarely on the country’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who Trump advisers identified weeks ago as a viable, if nonpermanent, alternative to Maduro. Despite Rodríguez’s initial attacks on the administration over Maduro’s capture, US officials privately maintained optimism she would work with the United States.

By Sunday night, Rodríguez was striking a softer tone than she previously had, calling for “cooperation” with the US. Rodríguez said Venezuela will “prioritize” moving toward “balanced and respectful international relations” with the US and the region.

Senior-level US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, top aide Stephen Miller and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have been working to develop a structure for Venezuela’s government in the wake of Maduro’s ouster, according to a senior US official. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright have been tasked with convincing American energy companies to return to Venezuela and its aging oil infrastructure.