Assistance from Claude AI. For a fact-check, see Fact-Check: Air Force One Press Gaggle Claims.
Summary
President Donald Trump held an extended press gaggle aboard Air Force One on January 4, 2026, primarily discussing the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Trump confirmed that U.S. forces are now effectively “in charge” of Venezuela, with plans for American oil companies to rebuild the country’s petroleum infrastructure while the administration works with interim leadership under Delcy Rodríguez. The president defended the operation as necessary given Venezuela’s role in sending criminals and drugs into the United States, announced that Cuba’s government appears near collapse without Venezuelan oil revenues, warned Colombia’s president about cocaine production, and discussed ongoing efforts to negotiate peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump was accompanied by Senator Lindsey Graham, Commerce Secretary-designate Howard Lutnick, and senior advisor Stephen Miller.
Social Media Post
President Trump confirmed the U.S. is “in charge” of Venezuela following the military operation that captured Maduro, announcing plans for American oil companies to rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Trump also stated Cuba’s government appears ready to fall without Venezuelan oil revenues and warned of potential U.S. action against Colombia’s cocaine production.
Participants
Donald Trump – President of the United States
Lindsey Graham – U.S. Senator from South Carolina
Howard Lutnick – Commerce Secretary-designate
Stephen Miller – Senior White House Advisor
Multiple reporters from various news organizations (including NewsNation correspondent Libbey Dean)
Complete Meeting Analysis
The Venezuela Operation: Command and Control
President Trump made clear statements about American authority in Venezuela following the military operation. When asked directly who was in charge of Venezuela, Trump stated bluntly, “It means we’re in charge.” He explained that while the administration is dealing with the newly sworn-in leadership under Delcy Rodríguez, the United States has taken effective control of the situation.
Trump described the operation as “very dangerous” and praised the bravery of U.S. service members, noting that helicopters were shot at during the mission and one helicopter “got hit pretty badly.” However, he emphasized that while several American personnel were injured, none were killed. Trump said he had calls into the injured service members and that all were “in good shape.”
The president acknowledged he was aware of the “possible danger” throughout the operation, describing it as “amazing that we had a few injured” given the intensity of the operation. He noted that U.S. forces “got off a helicopter, the helicopters were being shot at” and that “bullets would fly in all over the place,” but emphasized the “amazing talent” and “tremendous patriotism, bravery” of the troops involved.
When pressed about whether American troops would remain on the ground for peacekeeping operations, Trump responded, “It depends. It depends on what happens. It depends a little bit on the new administration, if you want to call it that.” He made clear that a second military strike remains possible if the situation requires it, stating, “If they don’t behave, we will do a second strike.”
Relationship with Delcy Rodríguez
Trump’s comments about Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez appeared contradictory at times, reflecting the complex diplomatic situation. When asked if he had spoken with Rodríguez, Trump initially said “No, I haven’t, but other people have,” then later confirmed “We talked to them, yeah” and “They’ve been very good.”
However, Trump also issued stark warnings about Rodríguez’s future. When asked about his earlier statement that she would face the same fate as Maduro or worse, Trump confirmed, “she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, because you know, Maduro gave up immediately. He raised his hand, he gave up.” This created apparent tension between the administration’s stated cooperation with Rodríguez and threats about her potential fate.
When a reporter noted that Rodríguez had publicly called the operation a “kidnapping” of Maduro, Trump dismissed this, saying “That’s all right. It’s not a bad term.”
The administration has not yet made decisions about releasing political prisoners or allowing opposition figures to return, with Trump stating, “We haven’t gotten to that yet. Right now, what we want to do is fix up the oil, fix up the country, bring the country back, and then have elections.”
Oil Companies and Economic Reconstruction
Trump confirmed he has spoken extensively with oil companies about entering Venezuela, stating emphatically, “They wanna go in so badly.” He spoke with them both “before and after” the operation. When asked which companies, Trump said “all of them, basically,” though he specifically mentioned that Chevron is already operating in Venezuela.
The president painted a dire picture of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, describing it as “rusty, rotten, most of it unusable. It’s old, it’s broken. You see pipes laying all over the ground. Hasn’t been, nothing’s been invested for years.” He noted that even Chevron, which has maintained a presence, hasn’t been able to invest properly because “they’re at a month-to-month basis. They’re only there because I wanted them to be there.”
Trump’s plan involves having “the big oil companies go in, and they’re gonna fix the infrastructure, they’re gonna invest money. We’re not gonna invest anything. We’re gonna just take care of the country.” He emphasized this would be private sector investment rather than government spending.
Howard Lutnick, Trump’s Commerce Secretary-designate, expanded on the economic opportunities beyond oil, mentioning “steel, you have minerals, right? All the critical minerals. They have a great mining history that’s gone rusty. So steel, aluminum, minerals.” Lutnick described Venezuela as once being “one of the great economies and cultures of the world, and it was destroyed, and now President Trump is going to fix it.”
When asked about rare earth minerals, Trump made an interesting distinction, saying “They have rare earth, but everybody has rare earth. Rare earth is not rare. What’s rare is the processing.” He noted that “we have a lot of places going up right now” for rare earth processing in the United States.
Trump also framed the oil reconstruction as reclaiming stolen American property, stating, “we’re taking back what they sold. Remember, they stole our property. It was the greatest theft in the history of America. Nobody has ever stolen our property like they have. They took our oil away from us.”
Cuba’s Impending Collapse
Trump made significant predictions about Cuba’s political future, repeatedly stating that the Cuban government appears ready to collapse. He explained that “Cuba always survived because of Venezuela. Now, they won’t have that money coming in. They won’t have the income coming in.”
The president noted that “a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday” during the Venezuela operation, referring to Cuban security personnel who were protecting Maduro. When asked how many, Trump said “they’re looking, but a lot of, there was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side,” adding that “a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday, trying to protect him.”
Trump stated directly, “Cuba literally is ready to fall,” emphasizing that “Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it.” He described the situation as Cuba “going down for the count,” using a boxing metaphor.
Senator Graham strongly supported this assessment, stating “You just wait for Cuba. Cuba is a communist dictatorship that’s killed priests and nuns. They’ve preyed on their own people. Their days are numbered.”
When asked if the U.S. is considering military action in Cuba, Trump responded, “We’re not gonna, I think it’s just gonna fall. I don’t think we need any action. It looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”
Howard Lutnick explained the economic connection, noting that “they’ve lived off of Venezuela, right? The economics were all Venezuela.” He pointed out that Maduro’s protective force was Cuban, and “when that money stops,” Cuba loses its primary revenue source.
Trump also referenced the many Cuban Americans who “are gonna be very happy about this” and noted that “people want to go back to Cuba. They want to work in Cuba, but Cuba’s going down for the count.”
Colombia and Drug Cartels
Trump issued strong warnings about Colombia, describing its president as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not gonna be doing it very long, let me tell you.” When asked what that meant, Trump elaborated, “He’s not doing it very long. He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not gonna be doing it very long.”
When a reporter asked if there would be a U.S. operation in Colombia, Trump responded, “It sounds good to me,” explaining “you know, why because they kill a lot of people.”
Trump also emphasized the role of cartels in Mexico, stating that “the cartels are running Mexico, whether you like it or not.” He said that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is “a little afraid” and that he offers to send U.S. troops into Mexico “every single time I talk to her” to combat drug trafficking.
Howard Lutnick confirmed Trump’s assessment about Mexico, interjecting “It’s like it or not. It’s a fact” when Trump hesitated on the phrasing.
Trump described his broader drug interdiction efforts, claiming that “drugs by sea are down 97%” due to aggressive enforcement measures. He explained that “every time we knock out a boat, and we’ve done a lot of them. We did three over the last few days,” the drug trafficking organizations are running out of pilots willing to risk the missions. Trump said he uses “the same exact missile on them that we use on the drug carriers, and it’s very effective.”
Iran Protests and Potential U.S. Action
When asked about protests in Iran and potential U.S. involvement, Trump stated, “We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re gonna get hit very hard by the United States.” This suggested the administration has established a threshold for military intervention based on the Iranian government’s response to domestic protests.
Nation-Building and Foreign Policy Shift
Reporters pressed Trump on an apparent shift from his 2016 campaign position opposing nation-building and regime change. One reporter noted, “There was a time back in 2016, and I remember your RNC speech, and you were saying that regime change and a nation-building” were policies he criticized.
Trump defended the Venezuela operation by emphasizing proximity, stating, “This isn’t a country that’s on the other side of the world. This isn’t a country like we have to travel 24 hours in an airplane. This is Venezuela’s in our area.”
He elaborated on this distinction, saying, “we’re in the business of having countries around us that are viable and successful and where the oil is allowed to freely come out because that’s good. It gets the prices down. That’s good for our country. We have a very sick neighbor. It’s not a neighbor, but it’s close to a neighbor. And that’s Venezuela, it’s very sick.”
Senator Graham provided additional context for Trump’s approach, explaining that shortly after Trump’s election, “We talked about a drug caliphate in our backyard. You know, we had Venezuela, we have Cuba, we have Columbia in our backyard, and these three countries have been condemned ever since I’ve been in politics.”
Graham framed the operation as defensive rather than interventionist, arguing, “This is not interventionism. This is making America safer. We’re gonna be more prosperous, because of the business deals and there are gonna be Americans alive today, because he shut down a narco terrorist state called Venezuela.”
When directly asked if the operation was “about oil or it was about regime change,” Trump replied, “It’s about peace on earth. You gotta have peace. It’s our hemisphere. The Monroe doctrine was very important when it was done and other presidents, a lot of them, they lost sight of it. I didn’t.”
Lindsey Graham’s Strong Defense of the Operation
Senator Lindsey Graham provided some of the most forceful defenses of the Venezuela operation throughout the gaggle. He compared it to the operation against Osama bin Laden, stating, “This was one of the most sophisticated military operations in the history of the country. What they were able to do was amazing. They knew we were coming. We had part of the, a good part of the Navy, and they were able to capture this man alive. No military in the world could have done it.”
Graham emphasized bipartisan concerns about Maduro, noting, “President Biden put a $25 million bounty on the guy’s head. Why? Because he was a horrible criminal, murderer poisoning our people. Every administration has been saying, ‘He’s a threat to our country. He’s a bad guy.’ This is the first guy that’s actually done something about it.”
He characterized the regional situation as a “drug caliphate in our backyard” with “countries run by narco terrorist dictators who murder, rape, send drugs into our country to kill thousands of our citizens.”
Graham made a pointed appeal to Democrats, saying, “To my Democratic friends, you should be celebrating this. When Bin Laden went down, I was the first applaud President Obama.”
He also revealed that Trump had discussed this priority early, stating, “Right after the election, he told me, ‘I’m gonna clean up our backyard.’ Now, this was long before, this was before he took office. This is one of the president’s priorities.”
Graham emphasized the human cost of inaction, arguing, “the number of people that would be alive today because Venezuela will be in different hands is gonna be tens of thousands.”
Russia-Ukraine Peace Negotiations
Trump discussed his ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, though he declined to set specific deadlines. When asked about his New Year’s resolution for “peace on earth” and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump said, “I don’t do deadlines, but I would say that, you know, like as an example, Thailand and Cambodia,” referring to a border dispute that recently flared up and was resolved.
Trump stated, “I think we’ll have a deal at some point. Hopefully, they’re not too distant,” before highlighting recent casualty figures. He noted that “30,000 soldiers were killed this current month. 27,000 the month before,” with Senator Graham confirming “this month.”
The president emphasized the human cost of continued conflict, stating that “on average, 25,000 souls, 25,000 soldiers mostly, and some people from Kiev and different cities, but a very small number by comparison. But 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers are being killed every single month. And they’re not from America. They’re from Russia and they’re from Ukraine.”
Trump also addressed his phone conversation with Vladimir Putin and the disputed claim about a Ukrainian strike on Putin’s residence. When asked if he believed Putin’s account, Trump clarified, “There is something that happened fairly nearby, but it had nothing to do with this house.” He explained that Putin “said that his house was attacked. We don’t believe that happened as, you know, now that we’ve been able to check.”
Tariffs and Russia Sanctions
Senator Graham discussed legislation that would give Trump authority to impose tariffs ranging “from zero to 500. He picks the number” on countries buying Russian oil, describing it as having “85 co-sponsors.” Graham argued that “if you want to end this conflict, then put pressure on Putin’s customers.”
Trump confirmed that the sanctions on Russian oil companies are “hurting Russia very bad,” and Graham noted that Trump had “sanctioned the two largest oil companies in Russia, which is the biggest pressure anybody’s put on Putin since the war started.”
Graham specifically cited the effectiveness of Trump’s tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, stating, “I was at the Indian ambassador’s house about a month ago, and all he wanted to talk about is how they’re buying less Russian oil.” Graham believes that “what he did with India is the chief reason India is now buying substantially less Russian oil.”
Trump added context about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him “a very good man” and “a good guy,” explaining that Modi “knew I was not happy. And it was important to make me happy. They do trade. We can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
Economic Claims and Investment
Trump made sweeping claims about foreign investment in the United States, stating that the country is “setting a record” with projected investment of “over $20 trillion” in the eleventh month. He claimed, “The all-time record is three by another country known as China. About 10 years ago, they did three. We’re doing, we’re gonna do close to 20 trillion. There’s, by the way, there has never been anything like this ever before. And it’s all because of tariffs and the election. But it’s because of tariffs.”
He argued that “without tariffs, we wouldn’t have 10 cents being invested,” emphasizing the central role of his tariff policy in attracting investment.
Trump also compared the U.S. economic situation under his leadership to what he claimed would have happened otherwise, stating, “if I didn’t win this election, we would’ve been Venezuela on steroids. We would’ve had a doubling up of very bad things, things that cost us a lot of money like welfare.”
Minnesota Fraud and Somalia
Trump responded to questions about alleged fraud in Minnesota involving Somali immigrants, calling Governor Tim Walz “a very stupid man” and “a corrupt politician.” He claimed, “the Somalians are ripping off our country to the tune of, looks like $19 billion, but that’s only what they can find. So usually when you look at it, 19, that would mean it could be 50.”
Trump described Somalia as a “dead country. They don’t have government. They don’t have anything. They don’t have a military. All they do is run around shooting people and trying to capture ships.”
He discussed his administration’s response to Somali piracy, explaining, “We use the same exact missile on them that we use on the drug carriers, and it’s very effective. Do you notice that ships aren’t being taken anymore?” He elaborated, “They head out, we say, ‘Guess what? There’s pirates.’ Bing. That’s the end of the pirates.”
Trump also called for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and others to be “forced to leave this country,” calling her “a total crook” and “one of the leaders of it.”
State and Local Crime Policy
Trump discussed pulling federal resources from certain states and cities, mentioning specifically that “we’re not gonna pay” Minnesota, California, and Illinois. He claimed credit for reducing crime in Chicago by “25%” but said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker “doesn’t want, you know, we brought down crime by 25%. He didn’t do anything.”
Trump referenced a day in Chicago with “17 murders, not too long ago, 17 murders and 77 people shot,” but stated, “we pull back, and we’ll go in at the appropriate time.”
Regarding Los Angeles, Trump claimed, “If we didn’t go in to Los Angeles seven months ago when they had the riots, even the police commissioner, the head of police said if we didn’t have the federal government go in, we would have lost total control of the city of Los Angeles and they would have had to cancel the Olympics.”
On Portland, Trump said the administration “got it down to almost no crime” but pulled federal forces out. He suggested crime would return now that federal forces have withdrawn, stating, “the crime will soon start because they now know that we’re out. And at the appropriate time, we’ll go back in.”
The Insurrection Act
When asked if he was considering using the Insurrection Act, Trump responded, “I would always, I’ve always considered it,” but noted, “we haven’t needed it anywhere.” He pointed out that “48% of the presidents of this country have used it. Bush used it, I think, 22 times or something.”
Trump described the Insurrection Act as “most powerful thing we have” but emphasized his administration hasn’t deployed it yet.
Greenland
While Trump initially deflected questions about Greenland, saying “Let’s talk about Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine. We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months,” he eventually provided his rationale for pursuing control of the island.
Trump stated, “We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it.”
He mocked Denmark’s recent security enhancement, claiming, “You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true. They thought that was a great move.”
When pressed about justification for a claim to Greenland, Trump responded, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And the European Union needs us to have it, and they know that.”
China Relations
Trump briefly addressed his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing it as “very good” and noting, “We have the power of tariffs, and he has other powers on us.” He confirmed plans to travel to China in April, stating, “I’ll be going in April.”
When asked if the Venezuela operation would affect relations with China, Trump said, “I don’t think so.”
Elon Musk
Trump responded to a question about Elon Musk after having dinner with him at Mar-a-Lago, offering a mixed assessment. “Elon’s great. I say about Elon. He’s 80% super genius and 20% he makes mistakes. But he’s a good guy. He’s a well-meaning person. He is.”
Bin Laden Prediction
Trump referenced his book that he claimed predicted the threat from Osama bin Laden one year before the September 11 attacks. He stated, “I wrote about Bin Laden one year before the attack in the World Trade Center. And I said, ‘You gotta go after Bin Laden.’ It was in my book.” Trump argued, “If they would’ve listened to me, they would’ve taken out Bin Laden and you wouldn’t have had the World Trade Center tragedy.”
He emphasized this point multiple times during the gaggle, saying, “I wrote a book. It was one year before the attack that the book came out, and it talked about, there’s a whole page, a whole section dedicated to a guy named Bin Laden who’s a bad guy who you have to take out.”
Maduro’s Trial and Legal Process
Trump confirmed that Maduro would appear in court with Judge Hellerstein presiding, whom he described as “very respected” and “a highly respected judge.” Trump stated, “The case is infallible” and noted the positive public reaction, particularly in Miami and other areas with large Venezuelan-American populations, where “they’re all dancing in the streets.”
Trump characterized Maduro as “a rough man. Killed millions of people. He killed millions and millions of people.”
Senator Graham made a point about Maduro’s location, stating, “He could be in Turkey today, but he’s in New York,” using this to send a message to other authoritarian leaders. Graham warned, “If you tell people in Cuba, ‘You need to stop being a communist dictatorship threatening America, you should go somewhere else. You better take the offer.’ Maduro has nobody to blame but himself. He gave him a way out. He chose to defy Trump and the US military. And his ass is in jail where he deserves to be.”
Reopening U.S. Embassy in Caracas
When asked about reopening the U.S. embassy in Caracas or returning the DEA to Venezuela, Trump said, “We’re thinking about it. We’ve been asked to do it. We’ve actually been asked to do it.”
Ukraine Aid and Rare Earth Deal
Trump contrasted his approach to Ukraine aid with the previous administration, claiming that under Biden, “$350 billion” was given away, but “I got a lot of it back because we did a rare earth deal going into rare earth. And we’re gonna get a lot of that money back, maybe all of the money, maybe more than all of the money.”
He emphasized that under his policy, “whenever we send anything, they paid. So this isn’t an economic thing for us.”
Justification for Venezuela Operation
Trump framed the operation primarily in terms of border security and the drug crisis, stating, “What really played is the fact that he sent millions of people into our country from prisons and from mental institutions and drug dealers and every drug addict, and every drug addict in that country, in his country, was sent into our country.”
He repeatedly emphasized this point, saying, “Every single drug addict from Maduro’s country, which isn’t really his country, and it’s certainly not his country anymore, every drug addict and every drug dealer has been sent into our country.”
Trump described the operation as having strong support from his base, stating, “voters that voted for me are thrilled. They said, ‘This is what we voted for.’”
Senator Graham characterized the operation as “making America safer” rather than interventionism, arguing, “What is the right response when a country sends in tens of thousands of people to overwhelm your system? When a country is a narco terrorist state that floods your country with cocaine that’s aligned with Hezbollah, what’s the right response? You blow up the vote before they get here. You take down the source of the problem.”
Tren de Aragua Gang
Trump specifically mentioned the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, stating that “the gang, Tren de Aragua that comes out of Maduro’s country. He was very friendly with that gang.” He claimed that in Washington D.C., where the gang had been operating, “they got the hell beat out of him. Washington DC is the safest city right now in the United States.”
Marco Rubio and JD Vance
When asked whether Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio had more influence than Vice President JD Vance on Venezuela policy, Trump stated, “They both do. And JD’s very smart, doing a great job. And so is Mark. No, both. I would say equal.”
MLA Citation
“Press Gaggle: Donald Trump Speaks to Reporters on Board Air Force One – January 4, 2026.” Factbase, 4 Jan. 2026.