CNBC | Saturday, January 3, 2026 
Trump says U.S. oil companies will invest billions of dollars in Venezuela after Maduro’s overthrow

President Donald Trump on Saturday said U.S. oil companies will invest billions of dollars in Venezuela’s energy sector after the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro. “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies — the biggest anywhere in the world — go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure,” Trump said in a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. “Let’s start making money for the country,” Trump said. Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, sits on the largest proven oil reserves in the world. Chevron operates in the South American nation, exporting about 140,000 barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to data from energy consulting firm Kpler. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a large-scale attack on the South American nation overnight. They have been indicted on drug-trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York. Chevron said in a statement that it “remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets.” “We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations,” the oil major said. CNBC has reached out to Exxon Mobil for further comment. Trump said the U.S. will “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and…Read more