WSJ: US top officials developing system for governing Venezuela

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly developing a plan to govern Venezuela in the event that American special forces capture its president, Nicolás Maduro, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed source.

The source said the task force on this matter includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. They are working on creating a “temporary governmental structure” that would allegedly oversee the restoration of Venezuela’s oil industry and overall stability. 

The WSJ report said Trump’s statement about the possibility of establishing temporary control over Venezuela remains highly uncertain.

On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a major military operation against Venezuela, involving air strikes and special forces, that resulted in Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, being captured at their residence and taken into U.S. custody.

By Khagan Isayev