Trump falsely claims US role in Venezuela 'won't cost us anything' due to oil revenue

Following a US military raid on Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump claimed without evidence that America's role in governing Venezuela would cost nothing because US oil companies would invest in the country's infrastructure and profit from its oil resources. Trump stated 'it won't cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial,' while offering no concrete details about how the US would administer Venezuela or how oil revenues would offset costs to American taxpayers. The claim echoed similar false promises made during the Iraq War, when the Bush administration suggested Iraqi oil revenues would cover reconstruction costs—a prediction that proved entirely false as the US spent over $2 trillion on the war and reconstruction. Energy analysts and government budget experts immediately disputed Trump's claims, noting that Venezuelan oil infrastructure requires massive investment and that any revenues would n...

"It won't cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial, so it's not going to cost us anything. It's going to make a lot of money." — Statement made during press conference following US military intervention in Venezuela