US President Donald Trump waves as he walks to board Marine One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 11, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

US President Donald Trump has introduced himself in a post on Truth Social as Venezuela`s acting president, days after a US attack that led to the abduction of the country`s President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump on Sunday posted a picture of himself on his social media website as the "acting president of Venezuela," portraying himself as the interim leader of the country as of January 2026.

On January 3, American forces staged an illegal military attack on Caracas, abducting Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and then transferring them to a prison facility in the United States.

The democratically-elected Venezuelan leader is now being tried in a kangaroo court in New York for fake charges allegedly related to trafficking guns and drugs.

Trump later announced that his administration would "run" Venezuela. He has especially emphasized that he is now in full control of all transactions linked to the country`s oil industry.

In an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, Trump pointed out that the United States could oversee Venezuela and control its oil revenue for years to come.

Trump has been pressing American oil companies reluctant to purchase oil from the leftist South American country to buy the country`s crude and resume their operations in Venezuela.

US oil majors, who lost their assets in Venezuela when the industry was nationalized by former President Hugo Chavez nearly two decades ago, insist that the laws in the Latin American country must be changed before they can start work.

Trump responded to their demand, telling them not to be "cute."

Following Maduro`s abduction, his vice president, Delcy Rodrigues, was sworn in by the country`s top court as the interim president.

Since then, Rodrigues` government has been engaged in diplomatic talks with the Trump administration, while a US team of diplomatic and security personnel arrived in Caracas to assess the possibility of reopening the US embassy in the Venezuelan capital.

At the same time, Maduro`s supporters have been marching in the streets of Caracas on a daily basis, calling for the immediate release of their popular leader and his wife, who remain in US custody.