New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has called himself the “Acting President of Venezuela” in a post on Truth Social. The post includes an image, styled like a grab from his Wikipedia profile, listing him the “acting president” of the country, “incumbent January 2026”.
There is no such entry on Trump’s actual Wikipedia profile. The post comes just about a week after Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was officially sworn in as the acting president.
Earlier this month, the United States launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, driven by Trump administration’s allegations that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was supporting drug traffickers. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on 3 January, and flown to the US. The operation invited questions about its legality from both inside and outside the US.
Both of them are now facing trial in the US and have pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy charges levelled by the government. The criminal indictment names, Maduro, his wife Cilia, son Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Prosecutors have alleged that Maduro, his wife and son, and their accomplices hatched a narco-terrorism conspiracy in partnership with cartels designated as terrorist groups to pump cocaine into the US. Charges also include possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
Several countries, including China, have spoken up in support of Maduro, framing the operation as a violation of international law and national sovereignty.
India had also expressed concerns over the situation evolving in the region. The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, had called upon all concerned parties to address issues peacefully through dialogue, “ensuring peace and stability of the region”.
In a separate post on Truth Social Sunday, Trump issued a warning to Cuba, saying that there would be “no more oil or money” going to the country, urging them to “make a deal before it is too late”.
“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!” the US president wrote.
Also read: Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’, the Western Hemisphere, and unravelling of the global order