In Unprecedented Move, Trump Declares Himself  Venezuela’s Acting President

• DoJ begins probe of US Federal Reserve Chair, Powell

• It’s a pretext to influence monetary policy, says Fed Chief

•US government revokes over 100,000 visas

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

US President Donald Trump yesterday referred to himself as “acting president of Venezuela” in an image of a mock-up of a Wikipedia page on his Truth Social account.

The post, which was liked more than 31,000 times as of last night, is the latest in a string of claims that Trump and Washington are in charge of the South American country following the 3 January capture of Nicolás Maduro.

In a lightning overnight military operation led by US special forces, Maduro and his wife were taken from their Caracas compound and flown back to the United States. Last Thursday, Trump said the US could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years.

“Only time will tell” how long Washington would demand direct oversight of the country of some 28.5 million, he said in an interview with The New York Times. But when asked whether that meant three months, six months or a year, he replied: “I would say much longer.”

Trump has repeatedly asserted that the United States will “run” Venezuela, despite its interim President Delcy Rodríguez insisting that no foreign power was governing her country. “Who governs Venezuela? The power of the people and their constitutional government, so there is no doubt, there is no uncertainty,” Rodríguez said on Saturday.

“The Venezuelan people govern here and there is a government, the government of President Nicolás Maduro, and I have the responsibility to lead the country while he is held captive,” she added.

One day earlier, the Venezuelan government said in a statement that Caracas “has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the government of the United States of America, aimed at the re-establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries.”

The government, led by Rodriguez, also confirmed that US Department of State officials were visiting the Venezuelan capital, and that it was in turn exploring a reciprocal visit to Washington, a report by Euronews said.

According to Trump, Rodriguez was “fully” cooperating with the US, and Caracas was giving Washington “everything that we feel is necessary”.

Trump’s actual Wikipedia entry, which uses the same official portrait as his Truth Social post, does not list him as Venezuela’s acting president, listing him only as incumbent president of the United States since January 2025.

Last week, the US seized two more Venezuela-linked oil tankers that were attempting to break a naval blockade of the South American country. The first was seized in the North Atlantic after a weeks-long pursuit while the second was boarded in the Caribbean.

The operation to seize Maduro was largely met with criticism from leaders across South America and since then Trump has extended threats to other countries in the region.

Also, the Trump administration has begun the probe of Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, over a Congressional testimony he gave last year about the organisation’s building project, a move Powell described as a “pretext” to gain more influence over the central bank and monetary policy.

In a video announcing the probe, Powell said the US justice department served the agency with subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings.

He called the probe “unprecedented” and said he believed it was opened due to him drawing  Trump’s ire over refusing to lower interest rates despite repeated public pressure from the president.

“On Friday, the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last June. I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one—certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve—is above the law.

“But this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure for lower interest rates and more broadly for greater say over the Fed.

“This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings. It is not about Congress’s oversight role…Those are pretexts. The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” Powell stated.

But Trump was quoted by NBC News as saying that he had no knowledge of the Justice Department’s actions. “I don’t know anything about it, but he’s certainly not very good at the Fed, and he’s not very good at building buildings,” Trump said.

Trump has demanded the Fed cut rates sharply since resuming office in January, blaming its policy for holding back the economy and musing about firing Powell despite the legal protections ostensibly covering the Fed chair from removal.

The independence of central banks, at least in setting interest rates in order to control inflation, is considered a central tenet of robust economic policy, insulating monetary policymakers from short-term political considerations and allowing them to focus on longer-term efforts to keep prices relatively stable.

The subpoenas and statement by Powell marked a stark shift in the now longstanding battle between Trump and Powell. Trump elevated Powell to the chair’s job during his first term, but quickly soured on him and made his opinions clear in a series of rebukes and threats.

Powell, for his part, had largely eschewed comment on the president’s actions or statements, instead acknowledging that chief executives often express opinions about a variety of issues, and pledging, as he did in the Sunday statement, to “continue to do the job the Senate confirmed me to do.”

While Powell’s term as chair ends in May, he has the right to continue on the Fed board until January 31, 2028, depriving the president of an additional Fed appointment – what would be Trump’s fourth on the seven-member board – until near the end of his term.

The White House began early last year criticising the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of two of its buildings in Washington, describing it as overly costly and ostentatious, a Reuters report said.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said on Monday it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office last year, setting what it said was a new record as his administration pursues its hardline immigration policy.

The extent of the revocations reflects the broad immigration crackdown initiated when Trump returned to the White House, deporting an unprecedented number of migrants, including some who held valid visas.

The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.

“The State Department has now revoked over 100,000 visas, including some 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialised visas for individuals who had encounters with US law enforcement for criminal activity. We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe,” the department said in a post on X.

The four leading causes for revocations were overstays, driving under the influence, assault and theft, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. The revocations marked a 150 per cent increase from 2024, he added.

The State Department has also launched a Continuous Vetting Centre aimed at ensuring “all foreign nationals on American soil comply with our laws and that the visas of those who pose a threat to American citizens are swiftly revoked”, Pigott said.

In November, the Department said it had revoked around 80,000 non-immigrant visas since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, for offences ranging from driving under the influence to assault and theft.

Directives from the State Department this year have ordered US diplomats abroad to be vigilant against any applicants whom Washington may see as hostile to the US and who have a history of political activism.

Trump administration officials have said that student visa holders and lawful permanent residents with “green cards” are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to US foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas.