OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:04 AM – Sunday, January 4, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is not at war with Venezuela, but is instead targeting drug trafficking organizations, following the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
On Sunday, Rubio signaled that the military actions in Venezuela would not escalate to a full-scale war while reiterating the objectives the Trump administration seeks with the operation, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
In an interview with NBC News, Rubio stated that there is “not a war” with Venezuela, arguing that the United States is instead “at war against drug trafficking organizations.”
“This was not an invasion. This was not an extended military operation. This was a very precise operation that involved a couple of hours of action.”
“I still think that a lot of people analyze everything that happens in foreign policy through the lens of what happened from 2001 [through] you know, 15 or 16,” Rubio stated, referencing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The whole, you know, foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan. This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere,” he continued.
Rubio went on to state that the United States is looking to move Venezuela in a “certain direction, because not only do we think it’s good for the people of Venezuela, it’s in our national interest,” suggesting that the Trump administration is seeking a more American-friendly regime in Venezuela.
The secretary of state also spoke on President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will “run the country” until it can assure a “safe, proper, and judicious transition.”
Additionally, Rubio called for “a little realism,” due to Venezuela’s longstanding “system of Chavismo,” which is a left-wing political ideology introduced by former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
“They’ve had a system of Chavismo in place for 15 or 16 years, and everyone’s asking why 24 hours after Nicolas Maduro was arrested there isn’t an election scheduled for tomorrow? There’s a process,” Rubio stated. “We care about elections, we care about democracy, we care about all of that, but the No. 1 thing we care about is the safety, security, well-being, and prosperity of the United States. And that’s what we’re going to focus on first and foremost here.”
Meanwhile, President Trump revealed that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as Venezuela’s new president, noting that she has been in contact with U.S. officials.
Although President Trump has not formally announced how the United States plans to run Venezuelan policy, he has suggested the deployment of American service members on the ground.
“We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so. So we are prepared to do a second wave if we need to do so,” Trump stated on Saturday, noting that he is “not afraid of boots on the ground.”
“We don’t mind saying it, but we’re going to make sure that the country is run properly. We’re not doing this in vain,” President Trump added.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below