Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday sought to reframe President Donald Trump’s declaration that the United States will “run” Venezuela, insisting the administration meant it would run the country’s policy — not govern it directly — even as he declined to rule out a prolonged American occupation.
“It’s running policy,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” attempting to walk back the president’s more expansive language. “We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction because not only do we think it’s good for the people of Venezuela, it’s in our national interest.”
The clarification reflects the precarious moment for the Trump administration following Saturday’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro. While Rubio dismissed what he called a “phobia” about regime change and argued that such efforts are different when they happen in the Western Hemisphere as opposed to the Middle East, he refused to provide a timeline for American involvement or specify what the administration’s ultimate objectives are in Venezuela.
On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Mr. Rubio did not rule out an occupation when pressed. “The president always retains optionality on anything, and on all these matters,” he said.
In his “Meet the Press” appearance, Mr. Rubio also reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to enforcing what he called an “oil quarantine” and said elections would not be held in Venezuela in the near term.
“Here’s the bottom line on it: We expect to see changes in Venezuela. Changes of all kinds — long term, short term. We’d love to see all kinds of changes, but the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States,” Rubio said. “That’s why we’re involved here.”
Rubio repeated the Trump administration’s assertions that Venezuela under Maduro had been heavily involved in drug trafficking, and defended the boat strikes against vessels suspected of drug-smuggling, despite criticism from international law experts who have called such actions extrajudicial.
Rubio also spoke to the country’s vast natural resources, condemning the country’s previous leadership for “using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world” — including Iran, Russia and China — “and not benefiting the people of Venezuela or, frankly, benefiting the United States and the region.” Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
President Trump suggested Saturday that the U.S. was open to working with Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s executive vice president, during the transition, and dismissed speculation that the administration might install opposition leader María Corina Machado. On Sunday, Rubio praised Machado, but said the U.S. was dealing with “the immediate reality” that “the vast majority of the opposition is no longer present inside of Venezuela.”
American forces carried out a large-scale strike on Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, without prior congressional approval, and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y., about an hour north of Manhattan, on Saturday evening. Maduro was then transported to a Drug Enforcement Administration field office in Manhattan for processing, and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while he awaits trial.
Rubio defended the administration’s decision to conduct the operation without notifying Congress in advance. “This was not an action that required Congressional approval,” Rubio said. “This was not an invasion. This was not an extended military operation. This was a very precise operation that involved a couple of hours of action.”
Rubio also hinted at possible interventions elsewhere in the region. When asked whether Cuba might be the administration’s next target, Mr. Rubio called the Cuban government “a huge problem.” While declining to discuss specific plans, he said, “I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.