Trump declares himself ‘Acting President of Venezuela’ days after capturing Maduro (Photo)

United States President, Donald Trump in his Truth Social post has described himself as the “Acting President of Venezuela,” sparking fresh debate about his true intention for the oil-rich country.

This comes just days after Trump signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency to protect Venezuelan oil revenue held in US Treasury accounts from legal attachment or judicial seizure.

See Trump’s post below:

He said the move is aimed at advancing US foreign policy and national security objectives.

The White House in a statement said that the Executive Order blocks any attachment, judgment, lien, execution, garnishment or other judicial process against Venezuelan oil revenues and diluent sales deposited in US Treasury accounts.

These funds, termed “Foreign Government Deposit Funds,” are to remain frozen unless specifically authorised under the new order.

The order also prohibits any transfer or dealing in the funds and overrides earlier directives that may have regulated or restricted such transfers or dealings.

According to the order, the oil revenues are the sovereign property of Venezuela, held in US custody for governmental and diplomatic purposes, and cannot be claimed by private parties.

The U.S. Embassy had also warned that the security situation in Venezuela remained highly unstable and urged all U.S. citizens not to travel to the country and to depart immediately if already there.

In a January 10, 2026 security alert, the embassy reiterated longstanding travel warnings dating back to 2019, when the U.S. fully withdrew diplomatic personnel from its Caracas mission and suspended all consular services.

Recall that US forces stormed Venezuela, capturing President Maduro and his wife for alleged drug trafficking and terrorism, a development that shocked the world.

Since the capture of Maduro, many world leaders, including South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, have condemned the breach of Venezuelans’ sovereignty. The United Nations has also condemned the move, stressing it could make every country less safe.