Trump declares himself ‘Acting President of Venezuela’ in social media post

Donald Trump fancies that he is the real president of Venezuela. Over the weekend, the US president posted on Truth Social a doctored image of a Wikipedia page showing that he is the ‘Acting President of Venezuela.’ Trump’s actual page on the site carries no such title, and the image he posted appears to be in jest. Delcy Rodriguez, the second in command behind deposed dictator Nicolas Maduro, is actually the interim leader of Venezuela.

Still, the president seems intent on sending a message that he is in control. He has repeatedly flexed his power over the South American country he claimed he would ‘run’ by threatening Rodriguez if she crosses him as he attempts to control the country’s vast oil reserves, which he said he will sell to benefit both Venezuelan and US citizens.

The stint outraged anti-Trump liberals online. ‘Trump sucks at running America. Which is why he also sucks at running Venezuela. The U.S. is now warning all Americans to leave Venezuela. And the [White House] thinks U.S. companies will invest in Venezuela. LOL,’ wrote Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu. ‘The Former President of Venezuela is an alleged felon while the Acting President of Venezuela is a convicted felon,’ reacted failed Democratic congressional candidate Moe Davis. ‘Those poor Venezuelan [expletive] can’t catch a break.’

Trump hosted several US oil executives at the White House on Friday to discuss potential investment opportunities in Venezuela’s deteriorating oil infrastructure. The White House has been focused on repairing the aging pipelines in the country as a means to extract wealth for both the US and Venezuela. During the session, Trump told the executives he is seeking a total of $100 billion to invest in the country’s oil apparatus.

Though some industry professionals have pushed back, noting the reality on the ground makes any investment risky. ‘We have had our assets seized there twice and so you can imagine to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes from what we’ve historically seen and what is currently the state,’ ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said. ‘Today it’s uninvestable.’

On Sunday, the president noted how he didn’t like Woods’ response and that he is ‘probably inclined to keep Exxon out’ of any dealmaking in the country. So far, it appears that Rodriguez and her administration are on board with Trump’s plan to sell between 30 and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, which some estimate to be worth over $2 billion. Trump also has a scheduled meeting this week with Maria Machado, the Nobel Prize-winning Venezuelan opposition leader.