US President Donald Trump has said that US involvement in Venezuela could last for years. In a New York Times interview, he said "only time will tell" how long his administration would "oversee" Venezuela after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a Saturday raid. Trump did not specify if or when elections might be held to replace the interim government led by Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodríguez. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado called Maduro’s removal an "irreversible process" toward freedom. The White House recently announced it would control Venezuela’s oil sales "indefinitely." US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said this control is needed for leverage over the interim government in Caracas. Trump said the US will be "taking oil" from Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves, but admitted it would "take a while" to revive the oil industry. Venezuela’s oil production has fallen sharply due to government mismanagement and US sanctions. Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio is "in constant communication" with Rodríguez, and that Rodríguez is "giving us everything that we feel is necessary." Trump previously said the interim government agreed to use oil sale proceeds only to buy US-made goods. When asked why he recognized Rodríguez as Venezuela’s leader, Trump did not give a clear answer. Trump dismissed opposition leader María Corina Machado as lacking the "respect" needed to lead Venezuela, despite her uniting opposition groups and winning the 2024 presidential election in opposition tallies. Maduro’s government had barred her from running and declared itself re-elected. Machado, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for promoting democracy, is currently in hiding and plans to return soon. She told opposition news site La Patilla that the transition will be "as short and swift as possible," calling the interim government "the same regime it was under Maduro" but "being given instructions to dismantle itself." Machado insists Edmundo González, her proxy and the legitimate president-elect, be recognized and political prisoners be freed first. Over 800 political prisoners remain jailed in Venezuela, with calls for their immediate release from US lawmakers. Trump focused more on the oil and rescue mission than on Venezuela’s political future in his interview. He promised, "We will rebuild it in a very profitable way," adding, "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." He is set to meet major US oil companies at the White House to discuss these plans further.