President Donald Trump defended his administration’s controversial actions regarding Venezuela during a recent interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. The former president, aged 79, spoke at length about the alleged merits of the operation aimed at taking control of the South American country, making an unexpected analogy involving donuts to emphasize his points.
In the interview, Trump expressed frustration over criticism from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had criticized the administration’s tactics related to the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Trump stated, “That was a perfect attack. Think of what we’ve done. We’ve taken over a whole country,” before detailing what he described as the operation’s successes. He claimed, “We’ve taken $4 billion worth of oil in one day, and that’ll increase.”
Trump elaborated on the significance of oil to the U.S. economy, stating, “Everything follows oil. Oil is so big, everything follows oil. If oil prices are down, everything’s down.” He added that this includes everything from the transportation of goods to the production of food items, specifically mentioning donuts. “It affects a truck that delivers donuts. It affects the stove that makes the doughnut. It affects everything,” he said.
The Trump administration has consistently denied allegations that the actions taken against Venezuela were driven by the country’s vast oil reserves. Officials maintain that the operation was focused on law enforcement, aiming to bring Maduro to New York to face charges related to “narcoterrorism.” Despite this, Trump has repeatedly stated that the U.S. will be in charge of Venezuela for an indefinite period, asserting control over the country’s state-run oil production.
On Tuesday, Trump shared a post on Truth Social, indicating that the Venezuelan government would be “turning over between 30 and 50 million barrels” of oil for the U.S. to sell. He stated, “That money will be controlled by me,” further highlighting his intent to manage the financial proceeds from this arrangement.
During the same interview, when asked by The New York Times about the duration of U.S. control over Venezuela, Trump was non-committal, replying, “Only time will tell,” but added, “I would say much longer.”
In a lighter moment, Trump also discussed his health, revealing that he might need to consider taking a “fat drug.” When questioned about the medications Wegovy or Ozempic, he replied, “No, I have not,” but acknowledged, “I probably should.”
As the political landscape continues to evolve, Trump’s remarks underscore the complexities of U.S.-Venezuela relations and the ongoing debate about foreign interventions. The former president’s use of casual metaphors, such as those involving donuts, illustrates a distinctive communication style that resonates with his supporters while raising eyebrows among critics.
