Fake News: No, Donald Trump Did Not Just Declare Himself President of Venezuela

It's hard to believe this even needs to be debunked, but one legacy media outlet seems to think that President Trump just declared himself the acting president of Venezuela. Their proof? A satirical Truth Social post made by the president on Sunday night.

Here's that post:

( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump - Jan 11 2026, 8:23 PM ET ) pic.twitter.com/ueMAyaXVqK
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) January 12, 2026

And here's the reaction from Axios:

Trump says he's the "acting president of Venezuela."

Here's how the country is being governed.https://t.co/BEPvY35Laa
— Axios (@axios) January 12, 2026

What the president posted was clearly a satirical Wikipedia entry showing him as the "acting" and "incumbent" Venezuelan president (as of January 2026), meant to poke fun at critics of his successful military and law enforcement operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's former dictator. A quick check of Trump's actual Wikipedia page shows he is merely president of the United States of America.

The Axios reporter knew that, of course, but ran with the "Trump declares himself president of Venezuela" narrative anyway, writing with a straight face that "President Trump raised alarms Sunday when seemed to declare himself the "acting president of Venezuela.""

Trump Announces Venezuelan Government Will Turn Over Barrels of Sanctioned Oil to U.S. Control

This reporter concedes that "Trump has no formal title in Venezuela," but bemoans the fact that "the president has continued to assert his authority over the country." This, wrote the reporter, is "raising questions about how long the U.S. will maintain its influence there." And he writes with apparent dead seriousness that the news of Trump ascending to the presidency of Venezuela "hasn't been officially declared elsewhere."

It would be laughable if it weren't so silly. There are plenty of things for an Axios reporter to be worried about at this point in time – fraud in Tim Walz's Minnesota comes to mind, as do the serious threats being made by the left against the nation's law enforcement officers. Those stories warrant prime real estate on a site like Axios, not some cockamamie theory that Trump has his eyes on more than one presidency.

Luckily for all of us, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped in to set the record straight on where things stand with Venezuela. "We've had complete cooperation thus far from the interim authorities in Venezuela," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday.

.@PressSec on @POTUS' success with Venezuela: "We've had complete cooperation thus far from the interim authorities in Venezuela. You've seen @POTUS has been able to cut a $500B energy deal. 31 million barrels of oil are now making their way to the United States to be sold." pic.twitter.com/AZC7SGdQqr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 12, 2026

Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela shortly after Maduro's capture. By all accounts, the Trump administration has laid down the law with Rodriguez about what needs to happen for things to go well for the South American country, including handing over 30 to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the U.S.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, who was a leading opposition voice when Maduro was still in power, is expected to meet with President Trump sometime later this week. You can expect the heads at Axios to explode if Machado follows through with her publicly-stated wish to turn her peace prize over to Trump.

Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.

Help us continue to expose their left-wing bias by reading news you can trust. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.