Donald Trump was quick to correct a news reporter over her claims about Venezuela’s oil reserves. Trump was speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One and answering questions after a U.S. strike on Venezuela.
A reporter questioned the U.S. president about the fate of the billion-dollar oil reserves in Venezuela. She said, “$17 billion of oil reserves in Venezuela…” Trump was not impressed with her calculation and asked her, “You mean trillion. Did you say billion or trillion?”
She confirmed and said she meant billion, and Trump replied, “It’s much more than that.” The reporter laughed it off, and Trump went on to address the question. She may not have been correct about the exact figures, but she wanted to know what would happen to the oil reserves. She asked, “So what is going to happen to those reserves?”
Trump claimed that Venezuela possesses 17 trillion barrels of oil reserves—far surpassing the estimated 1.5 trillion barrels held by the rest of the world combined. pic.twitter.com/hqmOtgtoZ7
— Defense News (@defensesignal) January 5, 2026
Trump answered, “We’re going to run everything.” He added that they would fix the broken country by running it. He mentioned that there is no money and that inflation is rampant. Moreover, he said elections would be held at the right time, but in the meantime, the U.S. would handle everything.
Nicolas Maduro is detained at the Brooklyn detention center,, and Trump has suggested that the United States will oversee the country’s affairs. However, according to Marco Rubio, the U.S. will not directly govern Venezuela but will keep a close watch on its oil assets.
Q: There’s about $17 billion of oil reserves in Venezuela
TRUMP: You mean trillion. Did you say billion or trillion?
Q: I said billion
TRUMP: It’s much more than that
Q: So what is going to happen to those reserves?
TRUMP: We’re going to run everything pic.twitter.com/hyj0kfcMcB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2026
Trump also spoke on Colombia and said it was responsible for bringing drugs into the U.S. He claimed the country is run by a “sick man” who makes cocaine and sells it to the United States. Iran was also on Trump’s list, with the president adding that it would have to deal with the U.S. if it started killing people again.
Trump looked fresh and rested during the Air Force One interview, unlike at the press event where he was seen dozing off. He was standing with his eyes closed while Gen. Dan Caine gave details of the strike. This gave viewers an opportunity to take a jab at “sleepy Trump.”
