President Donald Trump told NBC News that the US must nurse Venezuela back to health
by Kyle Anzalone*
January 6, 2026
President Donald Trump said the US had no plans to hold elections in Venezuela. He said elections are currently impossible, and the country must first be helped by the US.
“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” Trump said about the possibility of a vote in the next month. “No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.”
The President explained that the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and White House adviser Stephen Miller would be responsible for running Venezuela.
While Trump is laying out a massive nation-building project, he insisted that the US was not at war with Venezuela. “No, we’re not [at war],” Trump said. “We’re at war with people that sell drugs. We’re at war with people that empty their prisons into our country and empty their drug addicts and empty their mental institutions into our country.”
Since returning to office, Trump has ordered extensive sanctions on Venezuela, the seizure of two oil tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, strikes on Caracas, and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, all acts of war.
The President went on to say that he is anticipating sending US troops to occupy Venezuela and enforce his will on the country. The US continues to conduct surveillance flights near Venezuela.
Trump believes the rebuilding of Venezuela will take about 18 months and come at a massive cost to US energy firms. “It’ll be a lot of money.” The President continued, “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”
Venezuela’s heavily contaminated crude oil is difficult to reach and expensive to refine. Oil prices need to exceed $100 per barrel to make for companies to see profits. Crude oil is currently under $58 per barrel.
*Kyle Anzalone is a geopolitical analyst, editor, and podcast host specializing in U.S. foreign policy and world conflicts. As of 2026, he continues to be a prominent voice in independent anti-war media.
Current Professional Roles (2026)
Opinion Editor at Antiwar.com: Anzalone manages editorial content for the long-standing anti-interventionist news site.
Contributing Writer at The Libertarian Institute: He regularly publishes news analysis and reports on global military developments.
Host of The Kyle Anzalone Show: A bi-weekly podcast that features expert guests to break down international affairs.
Host of Conflicts of Interest: He co-hosts this news program with Will Porter and Connor Freeman, providing deep dives into specific regions like the Middle East, Ukraine, and Latin America.
Media Presence and Expertise
Anzalone is a frequent guest on various political programs, where he often critiques U.S. policy regarding the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Recent appearances and archives include:
Judging Freedom: He is a regular contributor to Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show, discussing topics such as Congressional funding for Ukraine and Israeli strikes in Yemen.
The Scott Horton Show: He frequently collaborates with Scott Horton on news roundups and detailed interviews regarding the Military-Industrial Complex.
Archival Commentary: His work has covered significant events including the Moscow concert attack and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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