← Videos · Energy & Permitting

Trump Meets with Oil and Gas Executives on Venezuela, Jan. 9, 2026

January 9, 2026 · The White House · 1:27:40

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump welcomed almost two dozen of the world’s biggest oil and gas executives to the White House on January 9, 2026, six days after the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, to discuss rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry. “We’re going to discuss how these great American companies can help rapidly rebuild Venezuela’s dilapidated oil industry and bring millions of barrels of oil production to benefit the United States, the people of Venezuela, and the entire world,” he said. Thirty million barrels of Venezuelan oil, worth about $4 billion as he stated it, were already on their way to the United States.

The plan as the President stated it: the oil companies — not the government — will spend at least $100 billion of their own money rebuilding Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, with the United States deciding which companies go in, and with the companies dealing directly with the United States rather than with Venezuela. “You have total safety, total security,” he told them. “One of the reasons you couldn’t go in is you had no guarantees.” He put the combined position as he stated it: Venezuela and the United States together hold 55 percent of the oil in the world. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright joined the meeting, with the President crediting Wright as the administration’s oil lead.

Why it matters

This meeting is the commercial half of the Venezuela operation: the dated commitment around which the January 11 shipment figure and the January 4 “we’re in charge” posture paged in this collection both turn — an at-least-$100 billion private spend, offered federal protection and security, and a U.S.-run allocation of which companies participate, all stated by the President in the room with the executives.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard candidate: the Venezuela oil rebuild as presented here — at least $100 billion in company spending, 30 million barrels (about $4 billion as stated) already moving, and the 55-percent combined-reserves claim. Flagged for the scoreboard editor; the entry itself stays review-gated.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Participates in a Meeting with Oil and Gas Executives,” The White House, January 9, 2026 (official upload, embedded above). All figures and characterizations as stated at the meeting.