Donald Trump has declared himself as the “acting President of Venezuela” by sharing a fabricated Wikipedia page on his social media platform, Truth Social. In the post, he portrays himself as the ‘incumbent’ starting from January 2026, following the capture of Nicolas Maduro, seemingly taking a jab at the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez.
After the US forces apprehended Maduro and his wife on January 3 from Caracas, Maduro’s former vice president, Rodriguez, was sworn in last week. They have since faced narco-terrorism charges in New York, with Maduro maintaining his innocence and asserting his rightful leadership of Venezuela.
The falsified Wikipedia entry by Trump features his official portrait from his assumption of the US presidency last year, listing him as the “acting President of Venezuela” in addition to his role as the President of the United States.
The Trump administration has announced that the US will oversee Venezuela until it achieves stability and self-governance, without specifying a timeline. Critics suggest that Trump’s primary interest in Venezuela revolves around its abundant resources, as evidenced by his meetings with oil company executives to potentially control oil distribution.
Despite Venezuela possessing the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, its daily production averages about one million barrels, a stark contrast to the US average of 13.9 million barrels per day in October.
The White House is framing its intervention in Venezuela as an economic endeavor, with Trump intercepting tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, planning to manage the sale of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, and aiming for global sales control indefinitely.
In response to Trump’s actions, Venezuela’s acting president, Rodriguez, has resisted, warning of consequences worse than Maduro’s if she does not comply with US demands to transform Venezuela in alignment with American interests, including granting access to US energy firms.
Addressing government officials from the agricultural and industrial sectors, Rodriguez stated defiantly, “Personally, to those who threaten me: My destiny is not determined by them, but by God.”