Trump captured Venezuela's dictator in a lightning military raid.
Democrats predicted chaos and condemned the operation as illegal.
But Trump just made one announcement about Venezuela that left Democrats speechless.
Venezuela blinked after Trump's overwhelming show of force
Trump launched Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3, sending U.S. forces into Caracas to capture socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
The pre-dawn raid worked exactly as planned — Maduro and Flores were on a plane to New York within hours to face drug trafficking charges in federal court.
Trump made clear he was ready to hit Venezuela again if needed.
"We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack, if we need to do so," Trump told reporters last week.
The Pentagon had ships in position and strike packages ready to go.
But Friday morning, Trump announced he was canceling the second wave of attacks.
Venezuela released "large numbers of political prisoners" in what Trump called "a very important and smart gesture."
"The USA and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes," Trump added.
Big Oil is about to pour $100 billion into Venezuela
Trump's Venezuela operation wasn't just about arresting a drug-trafficking dictator.
It was about unlocking Venezuela's massive oil reserves — 303 billion barrels of crude, representing 17% of the world's oil supply.
Under Maduro's socialist mismanagement, Venezuela produced less than 1% of global oil output despite sitting on the largest reserves on Earth.
Trump met with oil executives at the White House on Friday.
They're ready to invest big.
"At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House," Trump wrote.
Chevron is currently the only major U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela.
Trump's looking to change that fast.
Venezuelan authorities already agreed to ship up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. at market prices.
"That money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!" Trump announced Tuesday.
Sources told CNBC that Venezuela will ship sanctioned oil to the U.S. indefinitely.
Democrats got Venezuela completely wrong
Democrats and the media predicted Trump's Venezuela operation would trigger chaos and regional war.
The New York Times editorial board called it "dangerous and illegal" and compared it to failed interventions in Libya and Afghanistan.
Experts claimed Trump violated international law and the U.N. Charter.
Senate Democrats even passed a war powers resolution trying to block Trump from taking further military action.
Turns out Trump didn't need further military action.
One devastating strike was enough to bring Venezuela to the negotiating table.
The country's releasing political prisoners, cooperating on oil infrastructure, and shipping crude to America.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez denied there was a formal deal at first, saying "no external agent" was dictating her decisions.
But the results speak for themselves — Venezuela caved.
Trump also announced he'll meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House "next week sometime."
Just days ago, Trump had dismissed working with Machado, saying "she doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country."
Now she's coming to Washington while Venezuela's socialist government scrambles to make peace with Trump.
The U.S. even dispatched a State Department team to Caracas on Friday to assess reopening the American embassy, which has been closed since March 2019.
Trump's Venezuela strategy is already working
Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting to advance the war powers resolution Thursday, trying to tie Trump's hands on Venezuela.
Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Todd Young, Josh Hawley, and Rand Paul sided with Democrats against Trump's constitutional authority.
Trump slammed them for trying to weaken presidential power during a critical moment.
"Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America," Trump fired back.
The vote was symbolic — even if it passes both chambers, Trump would veto it.
But it shows how badly Democrats misjudged Venezuela.
Trump's swift, decisive military action brought Maduro to justice and opened Venezuela's oil wealth to American investment — without the endless occupation Democrats predicted.
The Pentagon's keeping ships in position "for safety and security purposes," but Trump's already pivoting from military force to economic reconstruction.
Venezuela went from socialist basket case to potential American energy partner in less than a week.
Democrats said Trump's Venezuela raid was reckless imperialism.
Instead, it's looking like the kind of America First dealmaking Trump promised — overwhelming force followed by economic cooperation that benefits the United States.
Sources:
- Rachel Evans, "Trump Cancels Second Venezuela Attack; Fifth Tanker Seized," Bloomberg, January 9, 2026.
- "Trump cancels second wave of attacks on Venezuela after 'cooperation,'" Al Jazeera, January 9, 2026.
- "Trump says he's canceled attacks on Venezuela, touts oil investment," CNBC, January 9, 2026.
- Ivan Pereira et al., "Venezuela live updates: US forces board 5th oil tanker linked to Venezuela," ABC News, January 9, 2026.
- "Trump Halts Venezuela Strikes After Prisoner Releases," Newsmax, January 9, 2026.
- Rebecca Shabad and Julie Tsirkin, "Senate advances measure to restrict Trump's power to use military force in Venezuela," NBC News, January 8, 2026.
