President Donald Trump ordered Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to launch commercial flights to Venezuela “by the end of” Thursday.
The president‘s comments came during a televised cabinet meeting at the White House — the first such huddle of 2026. Trump told the press at the top of the meeting that he had just “informed” Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez “that we’re going to be opening up all commercial airspace over Venezuela.”
“American citizens will be, very shortly, able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” he said. “They’ll be safe. It’s under very strong control.”
The president then turned to Duffy and ordered him, “and everybody else concerned, including the military” to accomplish the task “by the end of today.”
Earlier this year, ahead of the operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, Trump had ordered the airspace over Venezuela closed to U.S. planes.
“I want to thank all of the people in Venezuela for what they went through,” Trump said, noting that many Venezuelan residents living in the United States want to “go back to visit.”
Trump also maintained his praise for Rodriguez’s government, which has largely cooperated with the president’s plan for the country’s oil industry.
“They’re doing a good job, and just as I promised,” he said.
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You can watch Trump’s comments in full below.
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