In an interview published by The New York Times on Thursday, Trump was asked whether US oversight might last three months, six months, a year or longer.
"I would say much longer," he replied.
He added that "only time will tell" how long it would be, the NYT reported.
Trump said the United States plans to "rebuild it in a very profitable way," referring to Venezuela, and emphasized using Venezuelan oil as part of that effort. He spoke of refining and selling up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude previously blocked under U.S. sanctions and directing profits to benefit Venezuela and the United States.
The newspaper published an interview with the American president early on Thursday, focusing on the recent US military operation in Venezuela, as well as its repercussions and the further steps of the United States.
"We will rebuild it in a very profitable way," Trump said in the interview, referring to Venezuela. "We're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil. We're getting oil prices down, and we're going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need."
Trump also said that his administration was "getting along very well" with the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez, who is serving as Venezuela's acting president after Nicolás Maduro was captured in a US operation.
“They’re giving us everything that we feel is necessary," Trump said, according to The New York Times.
The US president on Tuesday unveiled a plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that had been stuck in Venezuela under a US blockade, in a further sign that Washington is coordinating with the Venezuelan government since capturing Maduro last weekend.
Numerous international leaders, including United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, have criticized the US operation as a violation of international law.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters