In an interview with The New York York Times Times he did not rule out that the situation could last for years. “It’s not three months or six months. I would say much longer.”
That said, Trump believes the U.S. can rebuild Venezuela’s economy fairly quickly. “We’re going to use oil and we’re going to take oil. We’re bringing oil prices down and we’re going to give Venezuela the money it desperately needs,” he explained.
Trump did not answer a question about why he recognized Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as Venezuela’s new leader instead of endorsing opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
During an interview with The New York Times, Trump interrupted the conversation to take a call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. When the call was connected, the president invited reporters to stay in the Oval Office and listen to the conversation with the Colombian leader on the condition that the content remain “off the record.” After speaking with Petro, Trump said the Colombian president called to explain the situation with drugs coming from Colombia.
