President Donald Trump has humorously referred to himself as the “acting President of Venezuela” by sharing a fabricated Wikipedia page on his social media platform, Truth Social. The post portrays Trump as the ‘incumbent’ starting from January 2026, coinciding with the supposed capture of Nicolas Maduro. This move seems to be a jibe aimed at the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez.
Following the alleged capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by US forces on January 3 from Caracas, Maduro’s former vice president, Rodriguez, was inaugurated last week. The couple has since faced narco-terrorism charges in New York, with Maduro asserting his legitimacy as the rightful leader of Venezuela.
Trump’s satirical Wikipedia entry features his official portrait from his assumption of the US presidency last year, labeling him as the “acting President of Venezuela” in addition to his role as President of the United States.
The Trump administration has declared that the US will oversee Venezuela until it achieves stability and self-governance, without specifying a timeline. Critics suggest that Trump’s interests in Venezuela revolve around its abundant resources, evidenced by his meetings with oil company executives as the US aims to influence oil distribution.
Despite possessing the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, Venezuela’s average daily oil production of one million barrels falls significantly short of the US’s 13.9 million barrels per day in October.
The White House is framing its intervention in Venezuela as an economic initiative, with Trump announcing the interception of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and the US takeover of sales ranging from 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, intending to control global sales indefinitely.
Acting President Rodriguez has pushed back against Trump’s assertions, warning her of consequences worse than Maduro’s if she fails to align Venezuela with US interests, including granting access to American energy firms. In response, Rodriguez emphasized her reliance on divine rather than external determinants of her fate.
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