America News Agency

Asked about the possibility of elections next month, Trump said, “First we have to fix the country. You can’t have elections. People don’t even have the ability to vote. No, it’s going to take some time. We need to heal the country.”

He also said the U.S. could provide subsidies to oil companies to help rebuild the country’s energy infrastructure, adding that the project could take less than 18 months.

“I think we can do it in a shorter period of time, but it’s going to take a lot of money. Very large amounts of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it and then get reimbursed from us or from revenues,” he said.

Trump also insisted that the United States is not at war with Venezuela.

“No, we’re not. We’re at war with people who sell drugs. With people who empty their prisons and send drug addicts and psychiatric patients into our country,” he said.

In the roughly 20-minute interview, Trump also identified a group of U.S. officials who will help oversee the U.S. intervention in Venezuela, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Vice President JD Vance.