在周六早上的Mar-a-Lago新闻发布会上，在他下令对委内瑞拉进行军事打击几个小时后以及国家总统的被捕，尼古拉斯·马杜罗(Nicolas Maduro)和他的妻子唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统一开始称这是一次禁毒执法行动。
他的国务卿马尔科·卢比奥说，“最重要的是，这是对两名被美国司法部门起诉的逃犯的逮捕。”
但特朗普对这一问题的阐述似乎迅速扩大，当时他说美国将暂时“管理这个国家”，令观察人士震惊。即使这涉及地面部队，美国公司也将很快开始出售该国巨大的石油储备，这是美国在西半球主导地位的整体战略的一部分。
虽然特朗普表示美国将“让委内瑞拉再次伟大”，但当被反复问及美国角色的具体细节，包括可能的时间表时，特朗普没有给出多少细节。
“我们将与一个团队一起运行它，我们将确保它正常运行。我们将重建石油基础设施，这将花费数十亿美元。这将由石油公司直接支付。他们的所作所为会得到补偿，但那是要付出代价的，”特朗普说。
后来，一名美国官员告诉美国广播公司新闻，美国“管理”委内瑞拉会是什么样子。
这名官员说，特朗普的高级官员将继续与委内瑞拉政府中的其他人进行外交接触，政府将与石油高管接触，开始在该国进行石油扩张，美国军方将保持姿态，做好准备，石油禁运将继续有效。
美国人有可能踏上地面
奥巴马总统没有回答有关美国军事行动的长度和后勤的问题。
特朗普被问及美国军队是否会在实地“管理”委内瑞拉，并表示他可以使用军队来确保它“正常”运行。
“嗯，你知道，他们总是说，‘地面上的靴子，哦。’所以，我们不害怕地面部队。昨晚我们在很高的水平上进行了地面部署。其实我们不怕。我们不介意这么说，但我们要确保这个国家正常运转。"
当后来再次被追问时，特朗普表示，美国唯一的存在将与“石油”有关，暗示将是美国石油公司。
他说:“我们将从地下开采出大量财富，这些财富将流向委内瑞拉人民和以前在委内瑞拉的委内瑞拉以外的人，也将流向美利坚合众国，以补偿该国造成的损害。”
总统还表示，美国军队仍然“准备好”对委内瑞拉进行“更大”的第二波袭击。
特朗普面临民主党人对其声明的抵制。
“特朗普计划现在管理委内瑞拉的想法应该会在所有美国人的心中引起恐惧，”纽约州民主党少数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)在一份声明中说。“美国人民以前见过这种情况，并付出了毁灭性的代价。”
佐治亚州共和党众议员马乔里·泰勒·格林(Marjorie Taylor Greene)在与特朗普发生争执后，将于周一离开国会，他抨击了总统的行为。
她在一份声明中说:“美国人对我们自己政府永无止境的军事侵略感到厌恶，支持外国战争是合理的，因为我们被迫为此付出代价，而共和党和民主党两党总是让华盛顿的军事机器得到资助并继续运转。”。"这是MAGA的许多人认为他们投票的结果. "
当被问及在委内瑞拉采取行动如何是“美国优先”时，特朗普说，这是美国的责任用“好邻居”和“能量”包围自己。
特朗普在新闻发布会上的言论与他在委内瑞拉首都罢工前几周的言论大相径庭，他在罢工中谴责马杜罗及其政权涉嫌助长贩毒，马杜罗一再否认这一指控..
特朗普利用门罗主义进行辩护
总统重申并扩展了他的政策，即1823年宣布的门罗主义的现代版本，即认为美国是西半球的主导领导者。
“所有这些行为都严重违反了美国外交政策的核心原则，这可以追溯到两个多世纪以前，现在已经不是了。它可以追溯到门罗主义，”他说。
“门罗主义是一件大事，但我们已经取代了它很多，很多。他们现在称之为‘唐罗主义’，”总统用自己的名字补充道。
特朗普周六发表评论之前，他发布了一份消息去年12月，他称之为门罗主义的“特朗普推论”，称“美国人民——而不是外国或全球主义机构——将永远掌握自己在我们半球的命运。”
俄罗斯、古巴和俄罗斯的外国领导人谴责了周六的罢工。
“应该保证委内瑞拉有权在没有任何破坏性、特别是外来军事干预的情况下决定自己的命运。我们重申对委内瑞拉人民的声援，支持他们玻利瓦尔领导旨在保护国家利益和国家主权的路线，”俄罗斯外交部在声明中说。
特朗普不支持反对党领袖
当被问及他是否会支持反对党领袖玛丽亚·科琳娜·马查多成为该国的新领导人时，特朗普否认了这种可能性。
“我认为对她来说，成为领导者会非常艰难。她在国内得不到支持和尊重。她是一个非常好的女人，但她没有得到尊重，”特朗普说。
马查多周六发表声明称赞马杜罗的下台。
“今天我们准备接管权力。我们将保持警惕、积极和有组织的态度，直到民主过渡成为现实。这种转变需要我们所有人，”她说。“对于我们国家内的委内瑞拉人，准备好动员我们将很快通过我们的官方渠道向你们传达的信息。”
去年被授予诺贝尔和平奖的马查多上个月告诉记者，“当我们认为安全条件合适时，她将返回该国，这将取决于该政权是否离开。”
获奖后，她在X上发表了一份声明，将奖项献给“委内瑞拉苦难的人民和特朗普总统对我们事业的决定性支持!”
当被问及他希望委内瑞拉多久举行选举时，特朗普表示，他希望看到这种情况是否会很快发生，但指出这“需要一段时间”。
委内瑞拉副总统德尔西·罗德里格斯在国家电视台的讲话中要求马杜罗回国。特朗普曾表示，“她本质上愿意做我们认为让委内瑞拉再次伟大所必需的事情。”
罗德里格斯用西班牙语说:“我们已经警告过，一场侵略正在错误的借口和借口下进行，面具已经摘下，它只有一个目标:改变委内瑞拉的政权，夺取我们的能源、矿产和自然资源。”
Trump's vow to 'run' Venezuela, sell oil, part of plan to dominate Western Hemisphere
At a Mar-a-Lago news conference Saturday morning, hours after he ordered a military strike in Venezuelaand the capture of the country's president,Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, President Donald Trump started off calling it an anti-drug law enforcement operation.
His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said "at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice."
But Trump's framing of the issue appeared to quickly expand when he stunned observers by saying the U.S. was going to "run the country" temporarily,even if that involved troops on the ground, that American companies would soon start selling the country's vast oil reserves, and that it was part of an overall strategy of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
While Trump said that the U.S. would "make Venezuela great again," when asked repeatedly about the specifics of America's role, including a possible timetable, Trump gave few specifics.
"We're going to be running it with a group, and we're going to make sure it's run properly. We're going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars. It will be paid for by the oil companies directly. They will be reimbursed for what they're doing, but that's going to be paid," Trump said.
Later, a U.S. official told ABC News what it would look like for the U.S. to "run" Venezuela.
The official said top Trump officials will continue to diplomatically engage with those remaining in the Venezuelan government, that the administration will engage with oil executives to begin oil expansion in the country and that the U.S. military will remain postured and ready, and that the oil embargo would remain in effect.
American boots on the ground possible
The president brushed off questions about concerns about the length and logistics of the U.S. operation.
Trump was asked about whether U.S. troops would be on the ground in order to "run" Venezuela and indicated he could use the military to make sure it's run "properly."
"Well, you know, they always say, 'boots on the ground, oh.' So, we're not afraid of boots on the ground," he said. "We had boots on the ground last night at a very high level. Actually, we're not afraid of it. We don't mind saying it, but we're going to make sure that that country is run properly."
When pressed again later, Trump suggested that the only U.S. presence will pertain "to oil," suggesting the presence will be American oil companies.
"We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground, and that wealth is going to the people of Venezuela and people from outside of Venezuela that used to be in Venezuela, and it goes also to the United States of America in the form of reimbursement for the damages caused by that country," he said.
The president also suggested that U.S. forces remain "ready" to carry out a "much bigger" second-wave attack on Venezuela.
Trump faced pushback from Democrats over his announcement.
"The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans," Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price."
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who is leaving Congress Monday following a fallout with Trump, slammed the president over his actions.
"Americans disgust [sic] with our own government’s never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going," she said in a statement. "This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. "
When pressed about how taking the action in Venezuela is "America First," Trump said that it was for the U.S. tosurround itself with "good neighbors," and "energy."
Trump's comments during the news conference were a far cry from his previous rhetoric in the weeks leading up to the strike in the Venezuelan capital, in which he condemned Maduro and his regime for allegedly contributing to drug trafficking, a charge Maduro has repeatedly denied..
Trump makes case using Monroe Doctrine
The president has reaffirmed and expanded his policy of a modern version of the Monroe Doctrine declared in 1823, the notion that views America as the dominant leader in the Western Hemisphere.
"All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy, dating back more than two centuries, and not anymore, all the way back. It dated to the Monroe Doctrine," he said.
"And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the 'Donroe Doctrine,'" the president added, playing off his name.
Trump's comments Saturday came after he released amessagein December that he called the "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, saying that "the American people -- not foreign nations nor globalist institutions -- will always control their own destiny in our hemisphere."
Foreign leaders in Russia, Cuba and Russia denounced Saturday's strike.
"Venezuela should be guaranteed the right to determine its own fate without any destructive, especially military intervention from outside. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and support for the course of their Bolivarian leadership aimed at protecting the national interests and sovereignty of the country," the Russian foreign ministry said in statement.
Trump does not back opposition leader
When asked about whether he'd support opposition head María Corina Machado to become the country's new leader, Trump dismissed the possibility.
"I think 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," Trump said.
Machado put out a statement Saturday praising Maduro's removal.
"Today we are ready to take over power. We remain vigilant, active, and organized until a democratic transition is concrete. A transition that needs ALL of us," she said."To Venezuelans inside our country, be ready to mobilize what we will soon communicate to you through our official channels."
Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, told reporters last month that she would return to the country "when we believe the security conditions are right, and it won't depend on whether or not the regime leaves."
After winning the prize, she posted a statement on X where she dedicated the prize to "to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!"
When asked how soon he wanted to see Venezuela hold elections, Trump indicated that he wants to see if it happens quickly, but noted that it "takes a period of time."
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded Maduro's return in a speech on state TV. Trump had said "she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."
"We had already warned that an aggression was underway under false excuses, under false pretexts, and that the masks had fallen and it had only one objective: regime change in Venezuela -- and the capture of our energy, mineral, and natural resources," Rodriguez said in Spanish.
