A controversial social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump has ignited fresh outrage and confusion across international political circles after he shared an image portraying himself as the “acting president of Venezuela.”
The post, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform, came amid rapidly unfolding U.S. actions targeting Venezuela’s political leadership, oil revenues, and national sovereignty, triggering sharp criticism from foreign governments and international observers.
The post followed Trump’s signing of a sweeping Executive Order declaring a national emergency to protect Venezuelan oil revenues held in U.S. Treasury accounts from legal attachment or judicial seizure.
According to the White House, the order freezes all Venezuelan oil and diluent sales proceeds deposited in U.S. Treasury-controlled accounts, blocking any attachment, judgment, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process by private parties.
The funds, classified as “Foreign Government Deposit Funds,” are to remain frozen unless explicitly authorised under the new directive.
The order also overrides previous regulations governing such transfers, stating that the revenues are sovereign property of Venezuela held in U.S. custody for diplomatic and governmental purposes.
In parallel, the U.S. Embassy issued renewed warnings that Venezuela’s security situation remained “highly unstable,” urging all U.S. citizens not to travel to the country and calling on those already there to leave immediately.
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On January 10, 2026, the embassy issued a security alert recalling longstanding advisories that dated back to 2019, when the U.S. withdrew all diplomatic personnel from Caracas and suspended consular services.
Tensions escalated dramatically on January 3, 2026, when U.S. forces launched a covert military operation inside Venezuela that resulted in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
More than 200 U.S. Special Operations troops reportedly carried out the pre-dawn raid, codenamed ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’, targeting multiple locations in Caracas, including the Fort Tiuna military complex.
Maduro and Flores were reportedly dragged from their residence within the complex and transported to the USS Iwo Jima before being flown to New York City.
