Trump Issues Ultimatum to Caracas: ‘Total Access’ to Oil or Consequences ‘Bigger Than Maduro’

President Donald Trump issued a blistering ultimatum to Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez today, demanding "total access" to the nation's energy reserves and warning that resistance could yield consequences "probably bigger" than the recent U.S. military extraction of Nicolás Maduro.

The President’s declaration marks a dramatic escalation in the U.S. post-intervention strategy, pivoting from the removal of Maduro to an explicit demand for operational control over Venezuela’s vast crude deposits. Trump asserted that the United States is effectively "in charge" of the transition, dismissing Rodríguez’s claim to authority and signaling that the administration is moving to physically enforce an "oil quarantine."

"Total Access" or Total Collapse The ultimatum comes in the wake of Operation "Absolute Resolve," the January 3 military incursion that successfully extracted Maduro and transported him to New York to face federal narco-terrorism charges. While Venezuela’s Supreme Court moved quickly to appoint Vice President Rodríguez as acting president on January 4 to preserve the Chavista chain of command, the White House has rejected the legitimacy of her tenure.

“We need total access to the resources to rebuild the country,” Trump asserted, framing the blockade as a necessary precursor to reintroducing Western energy companies to the region. He warned Rodríguez that obstructing this process or maintaining the previous administration's anti-U.S. posture would result in legal and physical repercussions "probably bigger than Maduro."

Enforcing the Quarantine Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced the President’s stance, confirming that the U.S. is enforcing a strict maritime blockade to cut off the acting government's primary revenue stream. Rubio clarified that the U.S. seeks control rather than collaboration, placing naval and Coast Guard assets on high alert to seize any vessels attempting to breach the quarantine.

The strategy creates a volatile duality in Caracas. While Rodríguez remains in the Miraflores Palace claiming constitutional sovereignty, the U.S. declaration of authority—backed by the credible threat of force demonstrated earlier this month—suggests her ability to govern, or even export a single barrel of oil, is now entirely dependent on American acquiescence.