Amid Rising Tension, Trump Declares Himself ‘Acting President Of Venezuela’ | World News

US President Donald Trump shared a digitally altered image declaring himself the “Vice President of Venezuela” in his post on Truth Social, at a time when the tension between the US and Venezuela continues after military operations and the Capture of Nicolas Maduro.

US President Donald Trump introduced himself as the ‘Vice President of Venezuela’ in his Truth Social post pic.twitter.com/A23DlWqIBw

— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2026

This comes against the backdrop of Trump’s comments that the US is “working together really well” with the Venezuelan leadership, pointing to oil shipments and ongoing diplomatic engagement as signs of improving relations.

“Venezuela is doing really well. We’re working really well with the leadership and we’ll see how it all plays out,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, when asked about his relationship with the new leadership in Caracas following the US crackdown that removed Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela’s leader, IANS reported.

Trump announced that Venezuela has asked the United States to accept a large oil shipment. “He asked us if we could buy 50 million barrels of oil, and I said ‘yes we can’,” he said. “It’s $4 billion, $4.2 billion, and it’s on its way to the United States right now.”

In an earlier post on social media, Trump said “no more oil or money” would go from Venezuela to Cuba and that the US military would be involved in maintaining distance between the two countries.

“Venezuela no longer needs protection from the bandits and usurpers who have held them hostage for years,” he wrote. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the strongest military in the world (by far!) to protect them, and we will,” Trump said.

(With inputs from IANS)