Trump’s Venezuela – After Donald Trump told Americans he was “in charge” of Venezuela and said the U.S. would “run” the country, back-to-back earthquakes killed at least 188 people and injured at least 1,520. Trump offered assistance through a Truth Social post, but advocates say
When Nicolás Maduro was removed from power, Donald Trump didn’t just describe a new leadership outcome—he described U.S. control. In January, when asked who was leading Venezuela, Trump said, “We’re in charge.” In other remarks tied to the episode, Trump declared that America would “run” Venezuela.
Then the ground shook.
On Wednesday, back-to-back earthquakes tore through multiple Venezuelan cities, toppling scores of buildings. At least 188 people were killed and at least 1,520 were injured, figures reported as the emergency response got underway.
Trump’s response. at least on the public record. looked like the kind of messaging that used to come wrapped in bigger claims of leverage. In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!. I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly.” He added. “We will be there for our new and great friends.”.
But the question advocates are now pressing is sharper than whether Washington is willing. The issue is whether the United States is doing enough to cover what many in the Venezuelan American and progressive foreign-policy community say is an obligation created by U.S. actions long before the first quake.
A U.S. government official, speaking on background, argued the offer doesn’t go far enough. Referencing Trump’s earlier comments. the official asked: “Don’t we run that country?” The official said the point isn’t about friendship—it’s about what they described as an obligation that “exceeds friendship.”.
Even as the dead were counted, a letter was already in motion. Venezuelan American organizations and progressive foreign policy groups are about to circulate a letter calling on the Trump administration to provide massive. unconditional humanitarian aid to Venezuela in the wake of the 7.2 foreshock and the 7.5-magnitude quake. along with the long-term economic damage they link to U.S. sanctions. Details shared exclusively with The Intercept by Just Foreign Policy. one of the groups that drafted the letter. lay out what they say Washington must do next.
The organizations argue the United States bears a “unique obligation” to Venezuela and that any aid “must match the scale of the harm the United States has played a role in creating.”
That demand lands in a moment already heavy with politics. After ousting Maduro, Trump’s installed a puppet government run by former Maduro ally Delcy Rodriguez. She has carried out day-to-day governance under the threat of a looming U.S. criminal indictment alleging corruption and money laundering charges. Trump has also warned that the U.S. might attack again if Rodriguez did not comply with his demands.
Against that backdrop, one line from a U.S. government official captures the tension driving the new advocacy push: “Should the U.S. be responsible for rebuilding?” the official mused. “Any word from Trump on that?”
The question isn’t hypothetical. Costs and claims about U.S. leverage have been central to the administration’s narrative since the overthrow. The costs of “Absolute Resolve”—the military operation and abduction of Maduro—topped $206 million. according to an analysis by Brown University’s Costs of War Project. Since then. the Trump administration has seized control of Venezuela’s oil industry and claims to be exploiting it for massive returns. This week, Trump said the U.S. has recovered its war costs 28 times over through oil extraction, equating to roughly $5.7 billion.
On Tuesday, before the earthquakes, Trump portrayed the situation inside Venezuela as something like proof that the approach was working. “The people are happy in the country. They have smiles,” he said, adding that Venezuela has shared in economic rewards.
But the letter being prepared by Just Foreign Policy and others takes a different view. pointing to an economic analysis by Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodríguez. The letter says U.S. policy has failed to produce the economic recovery Trump has claimed. It argues that sanctions have left Venezuela operating at a “diminished capacity.” It also points to infrastructure and readiness failures. saying “the buildings that collapsed were not maintained” and “the hospitals that must now treat nearly a thousand injured were not adequately supplied. ” framing both as direct consequences of U.S. policy.
In La Guaira, a port city, more than 100 buildings were destroyed in the twin earthquakes.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether the U.S. would ease sanctions or help rebuild Venezuela.
Still, U.S. Southern Command said it is at least preparing for a role in response. On Thursday, the command said it was “working with the Department of State to support U.S. government relief operations in Venezuela.” It added that it “has established an operational planning team that includes experienced subject matter experts from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. ” advising staff and leadership responsible for disaster relief planning and mission-related decisions.
Just Foreign Policy and the other groups argue that what’s been offered so far won’t meet the scale of need.
They write that emergency relief alone will not be enough. Venezuela’s recovery. they argue. will require access to its own financial resources and the ability to import essentials needed to rebuild homes. hospitals. schools. roads. ports. and critical infrastructure—equipment. construction materials. medicine. fuel. spare parts. and other goods.
The letter’s urgency is matched by the numbers coming from humanitarian assessments even before the earthquakes. Even before Wednesday’s disasters, almost 8 million people in Venezuela were in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
In the weeks ahead. the letter calls on the Trump administration to provide immediate. massive humanitarian assistance with “no political conditions attached.” It asks the administration to release Venezuelan oil revenues currently held in U.S.-controlled accounts and to suspend remaining sanctions that they say continue to impede disaster response and reconstruction.
By framing the response in those terms. the advocates are drawing a line between two versions of American power—one Trump used when he said the U.S. was “in charge. ” and another he offered after the shaking began. when he pledged help but didn’t publicly spell out how much leverage would be converted into rebuilding.
The outcome now depends on a single, grounded question that won’t go away once the rubble is cleared: if the U.S. is running Venezuela, the world will want to know what that means when the country is pleading to rebuild.
Venezuela earthquakes Donald Trump Truth Social Nicolás Maduro Delcy Rodríguez U.S. sanctions humanitarian aid La Guaira Southern Command costs of war