Trump rules out elections in Venezuela within 30 days

^{Trump stressed that America is not at war with Venezuela (Kato)}

January 6, 2026 (PEN) US President Donald Trump outlined his vision for the next phase in Venezuela, ruling out elections in the next 30 days and confirming a long-term US involvement in the country, two days after US forces carried out the operation to capture President Nicolas Maduro.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump commented on the possibility of holding elections next month, saying: "We have to fix the country first... You can't have an election, and there's no way people can even vote."

On the other hand, Trump said that "it will take some time, and we have to get the country back on the path to recovery," noting that the United States may financially support the efforts of oil companies to rebuild the energy sector infrastructure in Venezuela, a project that "may take less than 18 months," according to his estimate.

Trump added that he believed it could be done in a shorter time, but explained that it "will require huge amounts of money and a lot of spending," noting that oil companies would bear this expense, to be compensated later "by us or through the revenues."

The US president stressed that the United States is not at war with Venezuela, saying: "No, we are not... We are at war with drug traffickers, and with those who empty their prisons and send addicts and inmates of mental institutions to our country."

_{Source: Al-Sharq News}