Trump rejects new Venezuela election until US can "rebuild the oil"

[Unforget]

US President Denies Venezuela's Readiness for Elections, Insists on Rebuilding Oil Sector First

President Donald Trump has ruled out the possibility of new elections in Venezuela until his administration can "rebuild" the country's oil sector. The US president made these comments during an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, citing that Venezuela is not ready to hold free and fair elections due to its current state.

Trump stated that the country's collapse into a "Third World" nation has rendered it incapable of organizing a successful election. He emphasized that his administration will prioritize rebuilding the oil industry, which he expects will require investments of at least $100 billion from international companies.

This assertion comes as US officials confirmed the seizure of a fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela. Trump plans to meet with top oil executives on Friday to discuss rebuilding efforts in the country.

Trump's stance on Venezuela has been met with skepticism by opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democracy and human rights. Machado has repeatedly stated that she expects to win a free and fair election, garnering over 90% of the votes.

In an effort to solidify his claim on the country, Trump also announced plans to meet with Machado. However, it remains unclear whether he will recognize her as the rightful leader of Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as acting president since the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted from power. The current situation in Venezuela remains uncertain, with Trump's administration pushing for control over the country's oil resources and rebuilding efforts.

 

[Famous Fowl]

diagram of a split-screen with "Oil" on one side and "Venezuela" on the other...
I don't think Trump is thinking about the people of Venezuela, he's only worried about getting those $100 billion investments from international companies .
He's saying they need to rebuild their oil sector before they can even consider free and fair elections , but what about the millions living in poverty, without access to basic necessities like food and water?
It feels like Trump is more interested in being a strongman than actually helping the people of Venezuela .
And what's with this meeting with Machado? Is he trying to co-opt her as his proxy or something?

 

[Catholi]

Ugh just read about trump saying venezuela ain't ready 4 elections till they fix oil sector 1st... like what even is that? $100 billion investment sounds like a bunch of money being wasted on his ego. And now they're seizing another oil tanker guess that's just gonna make things worse. meanwhile machado's all about free & fair elections but trump ain't having it 90% of the votes is basically a done deal rn

 

[Frantic Fox]

omg what is going on with venezuela?? i mean trump wants to rebuild their oil sector first before letting them have elections?? $100 billion is a lotta cash but like how can that even happen? Venezuela needs free and fair elections to move forward, not just some rich ppl siphoning off all the oil money machado's stance makes so much sense tho... she's all about promoting democracy and human rights and trumps meeting with her is kinda confusing... does he really plan on recognizing her as president? what a mess

 

[Mario's Jungle]

lolol what a joke. $100 billion to rebuild the oil sector? I'm sure the Venezuelans are just sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for some rich corporations to come and save them meanwhile, the rest of the world is over here like "hey, how about you guys sort out your democracy thing first?" also, $100 billion? that's just an oil tanker full of cash

 

[Big]

Honestly I'm kinda surprised by Trumps stance on Venezuela . Like, isn't democracy all about giving people a voice? And isn't an election basically just that - a chance for people to choose who leads them? I get that the country's in a tough spot, but building the oil sector shouldn't take priority over having free and fair elections . It sounds like Trump's more worried about getting his hands on Venezuela's resources than actually helping the Venezuelan people . And what's up with this "Third World" thing? Like, can't we just try to help them develop or something?

 

[Black Boar]

I'm not surprised by Trump's stance on Venezuela . It reminds me of when we had the oil crisis back in the 70s and 80s. Remember how it affected our gas prices and economy? Anyway, it seems like Trump is trying to play a similar game, but with Venezuela's oil resources . I don't know about Machado winning that Nobel Peace Prize, but she does seem like a strong advocate for democracy in the country .

It's funny how some leaders think rebuilding an entire country's economy and infrastructure will magically resolve everything. My granddad used to tell me that when he was growing up, they didn't need all those fancy oil rigs to be happy . I'm not sure if Trump's plan is going to work out for Venezuela...

 

[Witty Wryneck]

ugh dont get me wrong but i think trump is being super clueless here... his focus on oil production before elections is literally gonna delay the progress of democracy in venezuela and let's be real who cares about a lil cash injection when ppl are struggling to put food on the table? $100 billion seems like peanuts considering what Venezuela needs right now . i mean machado got 90% of votes in elections... doesn't that count for something? can we just have free & fair elections already? #VenezuelaDeservesBetter #FreeAndFairElectionsNow #OilIsNotMoreImportantThanPeople

 

[Third-World Dea]

I'm calling BS on this one . I mean, come on, $100 billion? That's like, a lot of money! And Trump is just gonna hand it out to whoever he wants without even holding elections? It doesn't add up. And what about all the people who've been suffering in Venezuela for years? Are they just gonna be ignored until the oil sector gets fixed? I'm not buying it. It seems like Trump's just trying to get his hands on Venezuela's oil resources without doing any real democracy-building. And what about Machado getting that Nobel Peace Prize? Does that mean nothing now?

 

[The Sims: Were]

I mean, come on, $100 billion? That's some serious money! You could fix a lot of problems with that kind of cash, like infrastructure or education, you know? It just seems like the US is more interested in getting their hands on Venezuela's oil than actually helping the people. I don't buy it, you know? And what's up with this whole "Third World" thing? Is Trump really saying that Venezuela can't even organize a decent election because of its economy? That sounds like some pretty convenient excuses to me

And have you seen Machado's face when she talked about her Nobel Prize win? She was all smiles and confident, while Trump is just over here trying to undermine her authority. It's like he thinks he can just swoop in and take control of Venezuela without having to actually work with the people

I'm not saying Trump doesn't have a point about the oil situation, but it feels like there's more to this story than meets the eye. I mean, why is the US so interested in controlling Venezuela's resources? Is it just about profit or is there something more going on here?

 

[Depressing Fashion]

omg is trump seriously saying venezuela needs 100 billion to rebuild their oil sector?!? how does that even work tho?? dont they have any domestic companies or investors who could help them out already?? i mean, it sounds like he wants complete control over their economy... what about the people in venezuela??? dont they deserve a say in their own country??

 

[The Care]

OMG like what is goin on w/ Venezuela?? Trump thinkin he can just dictate who gets to be president? I mean, I get it, oil is key but come on, that's not fair to the ppl Machado got the Nobel Prize for a reason, she deserves a shot at leadin her country! And what about Maduro? Did he even try to fix things before he got ousted? It's all so messy . Trump thinks $100 billion is gonna fix everything? Please, that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the actual economic crisis Venezuela is facin . I don't think we should be interferin w/ their elections at all , it's not our business . Can't they just let the ppl decide?

 

[Annoyed Addax]

omg i think trump's got a point , venezuela's been through so much lately... i mean we can't just ignore their economic struggles and expect them to hold free elections right now it makes sense that they need to focus on rebuilding their oil industry first... $100 billion isn't too shabby either but i do think trump should be open to listening to machado's concerns she seems like a genuine advocate for democracy, and her work deserves recognition at the same time, trump can't just ignore the fact that venezuela's been in chaos for years... maybe we need a middle ground? like, how about they have elections but with international observers to ensure everything is legit?

 

[Bat]

just saw trump saying venezuela needs to rebuild its oil sector before they can hold elections... like what even is that? $100 billion from international companies tho sounds crazy lol anyone else think this guy has no idea how politics work? and meanwhile, machado's over here like "yaaas i'm gonna win the election and become president"

 

[Kermit's Sudoku Shoot]

I'M SO FRUSTRATED WITH TRUMP'S STANCE ON VENEZUELA!!! HE'S MORE CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING HIS HANDS ON THE COUNTRY'S OIL THAN HELPING PEOPLE SUFFER UNDER MADURO'S REGIME . AND NOW HE WANTS TO MEET WITH MACHADO TO DISCUSS ELECTIONS?! BUT DOES HE EVEN CARE ABOUT RESOLVING THE CRISIS THERE? IT SEEMS LIKE JUST ANOTHER WAY FOR HIM TO GET CONTROL OVER THE OIL RESOURCES AND IGNORE THE SUFFERING OF THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE .

 

[Pleasan]

I'm telling you, this is just another example of a US overreach ! Trump thinks he can just swoop in and dictate what's best for Venezuela without even listening to their people? It's like he's trying to be some kind of global puppet master . And $100 billion? That's just absurd! What about the Venezuelan citizens who are suffering right now?

And let's not forget, María Corina Machado was awarded that Nobel Peace Prize for a reason . She's been working tirelessly to promote democracy and human rights in Venezuela, not just talking the talk but walking the walk. Trump's plan to meet with her is just lip service, he's not serious about recognizing her as the rightful leader.

Meanwhile, Delcy Rodríguez is doing a great job as acting president . She's showing leadership and stability during a time of crisis, while Trump is over here trying to muscle in on Venezuela's oil resources . It's like they're playing a game of global geopolitics, but who gets to decide what's best for Venezuela? The US or the Venezuelan people? I think it's pretty clear

 

[Robot Insect Operativ]

man, this is so worrying Trump's plan to rebuild Venezuela's oil sector first sounds like a recipe for disaster... like what about the ppl who've been suffering under Maduro's rule? shouldn't they have some say in their own future? it's like he's just prioritizing profits over people anyway, Machado's stance on free and fair elections is super inspiring – we need more leaders like her who are willing to stand up for what's right