3 min readJan 12, 2026 12:45 PM IST
First published on: Jan 12, 2026 at 12:18 PM IST
Donald Trump put out a photo on his Truth Social handle on Sunday, portraying himself as the “Acting President of Venezuela”.
The social media post with the Wikipedia-style edited image presented Trump as the incumbent president of Venezuela as of January 2026.
It also listed him as the 45th and 47th President of the United States, highlighting that he assumed office on January 20, 2025.
Trump’s large-scale military strikes on Venezuela
Earlier this month, the US military launched an operation to capture Venezuela’s deposed leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after the American forces carried out several strikes against Venezuelan-linked boats off the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, which, according to the Trump administration, were carrying drugs.
The US president subsequently stated that the United States would “run” the Venezuelan government until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” was ensured.
However, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was later appointed as the country’s interim president.
Trump urges American oil companies to invest in Venezuela
Trump on Friday urged American oil companies to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela, promising them “total safety”.
The US president met senior executives from major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, at the White House to discuss rebuilding Venezuela’s energy industry. He said US firms could invest at least $100 billion to revive oil production.
“American companies will have the opportunity to rebuild Venezuela’s energy infrastructure,” Trump said at the meeting.
He added that oil production could rise sharply and stated that the United States would benefit from lower energy prices.
Trump stated that the investment would come from oil companies, not US taxpayers. “The plan is for them to spend at least $100bn of their money, not the government’s money,” he said. “They don’t need government money, but they need government protection and government security,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
He also warned companies that others were ready to step in if they were not interested. “I got 25 people that aren’t here today that are willing to take your place,” Trump said.
US President Donald Trump 
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