Donald Trump has grabbed your attention again by sharing a fake Wikipedia page declaring himself the ‘Acting President of Venezuela.’
The US president shared an image on Truth Social of a mock-up webpage that listed him as the ‘incumbent’ leader of Venezuela from January 2026.
The fake webpage mimics his actual Wikipedia entry, which correctly reads: ’45th & 47th President of the United States.’
Trump’s post quickly went viral, racking up more than 25,000 likes and 6,600 reshares, with one user commenting: ‘This guy really loves controversy.’
Another user commented: ‘Wikipedia edit pranks never fail to hit the nail on the head and be absolutely hilarious!’
This month, the US captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in a military raid and took him to New York, where he was charged with drug trafficking.
Maduro, who has insisted he was still the country’s rightful leader, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At a press conference in Mar-A-Lago, Trump said that he will ‘run’ Venezuela and plans to tap into the country’s rich oil reserves to sell to other nations.
He has since met with executives from America’s top oil companies to discuss the management of Venezuela’s natural resources.
However, CEO of ExxonMobil, Darren Woods, told Trump that his corporation considered the country ‘uninvestable’ at present.
‘I didn’t like Exxon’s response,’ Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. ‘They’re playing too cute.’
Problems Venezuela faces today that Trump would have to solve
If Donald Trump was the Acting President of Venezuela, he would have several problems to address, including:
- Narcoterrorism – There is a flow of narcotics and other criminal activity through Venezuela
- Crime – Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world
- Public transport – A number of robberies at gunpoint have taken place on the Caracas metro and regular reports of passengers being robbed on public buses
- Employment crisis – The country’s workforce has been destroyed by years of crisis and mass migration with 19% of Venezuelan adults employed full-time for an employer last year
- Well-being of Venezuelans – This is severely challenged by prolonged crisis and poverty
- Issues affecting children – Children and young people face serious risks including violence, malnutrition, forced recruitment by armed groups and dropping out of school
- Hunger – Experts say although a famine-level crisis is not imminent, the severe food insecurity is a disaster that will mark the population with lifelong physical and mental health challenges
- Refugee crisis – Roughly 8 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014
- Women’s and girls’ rights – Abortion is criminalised except when the pregnant mother’s life is at risk, while access to sexual and reproductive health services remains inadequate
- Indigenous peoples’ rights – According to a UN expert, Indigenous peoples continue to ‘lack resources and access to adequate food
Last week, Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as the interim leader of Venezuela.
She has vowed to work with the Trump administration and has said Venezuela is seeking ‘respectful relations’ with the US.
Ms Rodriguez was warned by Trump that she would face an outcome worse than Maduro’s if she does not ‘do what’s right’ and overhaul Venezuela into a country that aligns with US interests.
The White House is framing the effort to ‘run’ Venezuela in economic terms, and Trump has seized tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, has said the US is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, and plans to control sales worldwide indefinitely.
Trump signed an executive order that seeks to ensure that Venezuelan oil revenue remains protected from being used in judicial proceedings.
The executive order says that if the funds were to be seized for such use, it could ‘undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela.’
Venezuela has a history of state asset seizures, ongoing US sanctions and decades of political uncertainty.
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