Washington DC; August 2026: US President Donald Trump has written in a post on Truth Social that “The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!”.
Adding further the US President has asserted, “At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer”.
The much hyped deal is all about the 65-billion-barrel figure representing about 21% of Venezuela’s total proven reserves, amounting to 303 billion barrels. The first major criticism came from Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (Democrat): “Let's be clear: this isn't a win. This is proof Trump put our service members at risk to get Venezuelan oil for his billionaire buddies. Putting our soldiers’ lives on the line for private profit is a gross dereliction of his constitutional duty”, the Senator has lambasted Trump vide his social media post.
The transaction follows the US military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in the beginning of January this year (2026), and comes amid rising energy costs amid the Iran war. Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in expanding U.S. investment in Venezuela’s oil industry.
Virginia’s Senator Tim Kaine (Democrat), who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused the US President of using Maduro’s ouster to “control Venezuelan oil”. In a social media post Kaine has written “Will prices come down for Americans? Who knows but likely not as much as Trump has forced them up thru his idiotic Iran War? But here’s a guarantee, this deal will pad the pockets of Trump family and Big Oil companies and delay transition to cleaner energy. Bottom line—Using our troops for a private oil grab is corruption at epic scale!”
GOP (Republican) Senator Bernie Moreno (Ohio) hit back at Democrats criticism of this deal. “If it were up to DC Democrats, Maduro would still be in power, Venezuelan oil would be going to China at half price, and the people of Venezuela would be getting robbed by a corrupt regime”, the lawmaker wrote on social media. “Instead, this historic deal benefits both countries for generations!”
Venezuela’s acting leader, Delcy Rodriguez, called the deal a “historic milestone in bilateral relations between Venezuela and the U.S. These investments will contribute not only to the recovery and modernization of our industry, but also to our country’s economic growth, the energy security of our hemisphere, and greater balance in international markets”, Rodriguez said.
Team Maverick.
