US President Donald Trump has held an extraordinary press conference regarding the military operation carried out in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. He described the action as "a wonderful thing", emphasizing that no bodies involved were harmed and no military equipment was lost.
Trump said Maduro and his wife will face US charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. According to him, the Venezuelan president is already on a ship bound for New York, where he is expected to stand trial on US soil.
“We will lead the country until we can make a safe, orderly and wise transition,” Trump said, adding that the United States is prepared for a second wave of attacks, if the situation requires it. “We think a second wave may be necessary, but at this point it probably isn’t necessary. However, we are fully prepared,” he stressed.
The US president declared that the US will lead Venezuela until a safe transition of power occurs.
"So, we don't want to get involved in someone else's interference. And we have the same situation that we have had for a long period of the last few years. So, we will lead the country until such time as we can make a safe, orderly and wise transition," Trump stressed.
The US president also made it clear that future cooperation between Venezuela and the US would make the country a richer, more independent and more secure state, bringing benefits to the Venezuelan community living in the United States. “They have suffered a lot, everything has been taken from them. This will not happen again,” Trump said.
He called Nicolas Maduro a "dictator" and accused him of leading an organization involved in trafficking hard drugs to the U.S. Trump alleged that Maduro had collaborated directly with the Cartel de los Soles, which he blamed for the spread of drugs and the deaths of thousands of Americans.
During the conference, the US president listed what he considered Maduro's mistakes.
"Maduro will never again be able to threaten an American citizen or any person from Venezuela. There will be no more threats."
He also accused the Venezuelan government of "emptying out prisons and sending its worst and most violent monsters to the US to steal the lives of Americans."
"They were drug traffickers. They were drug lords. They used to send all the bad guys to the United States, but not anymore."
The US president also claimed that Venezuela had stolen US oil and that US businesses had helped build the country's oil industry. He also explained this US action from an ideological perspective.
“All of these actions were in grave violation of the core principles of American foreign policy that date back more than two centuries… since the Monroe Doctrine. We more or less forgot it. It was very important, but we forgot it.”
Speaking about the national security strategy, Trump emphasized that American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be questioned and that the US is restoring its power in the region.
"We are reestablishing American power in a very powerful way in our region."
In conclusion, the US president reiterated that this operation aims to stop any threat from Maduro to American and Venezuelan citizens and expressed his belief that the actions taken will lead to a safe and orderly transition in Venezuela.
