Donald Trump has added a line to his résumé, according to his own social media updates. On Sunday night, the president posted a screenshot on his social media platform, Truth Social, that showed a Wikipedia-style profile of him. Beneath his official photo was: “Acting President of Venezuela.” There was no other caption.
The post obviously raised questions about whether this was a joke or if this is actually how Trump sees America’s role in Venezuela, especially after the military operation that captured their president, Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Context matters, as Trump described the operation from Mar-a-Lago. He admitted that it involved airstrikes, drones, special forces, and even months of planning. After that, Maduro was flown to the United States to face charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
Solemn-faced Nicolás Maduro sports handcuffs inside NYC DEA headquarters as he arrives in US to face trial https://t.co/7TDKCR0baO pic.twitter.com/wtGwFlpoOP
— New York Post (@nypost) January 4, 2026
Venezuela’s Supreme Court has ordered the captured strongman’s own Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez to act as president. Trump has also publicly acknowledged that the transfer of power, as he described Rodríguez’s reaching out to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “gracious.” In fact, that’s what made the Truth Social post so strange.
Does this mean that when Rodríguez was sworn in, Trump crowned himself as Venezuela’s leader?
It is also worth noting that since the operation, Trump has been very open about U.S. intentions south of the border. In Florida, he actually said the United States plans to “run Venezuela” until there’s a safe, proper and judicious transition.” Trump said his goal is to prevent another Maduro-like outcome and to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure. He said elections would come along “eventually.”
Trump has also said U.S. oil companies would pour billions into Venezuela’s massive reserves to fix broken infrastructure. In his words, this investment would make the country profitable. He had admittedly tipped off oil executives before the invasion, and companies that aren’t as enthusiastic about the takeover (including ExxonMobil) could very well be frozen out.
🚨Is🇺🇸U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to force American companies back into🇻🇪Venezuela already falling apart?
A battle for the U.S. energy governance is unfolding as Trump says he is “inclined to keep ExxonMobil out” of Venezuela after friction emerged at the White House
🧵 https://t.co/yzp1pUi9W4 pic.twitter.com/16NgzX6ypW
— Francesco Sassi (@Frank_Stones) January 12, 2026
That stance has been criticized internationally and at home. For example, the United Nations warned of destabilizing consequences for the region, and Democratic lawmakers accused Trump of bypassing Congress as he edges toward another foreign occupation. The 79-year-old president, on the other hand, has dismissed them all as he feels they are just whining.
So, against that backdrop, the “acting president” post doesn’t feel like a joke. If Trump believes the U.S. is effectively in charge, then the title may feel real to him.
To everyone else, it looked bizarre, though.
