Trump Posts Image Declaring Himself 'Acting President of Venezuela'

Former U.S. President Donald Trump posted an image on social media declaring himself the "Acting President of Venezuela." The post shows an altered photo of Trump seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. A fictional headline on a newspaper in the image states, "Trump Appointed Acting President of Venezuela." This online post follows a real-world event. Days earlier, U.S. authorities conducted a military operation in Caracas. The operation aimed to capture Venezuela's actual president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. The U.S. government has long considered Maduro's leadership illegitimate. It recognizes opposition figure Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president. Trump's post is a dramatic visual claim of authority over the South American nation. It is not an official statement of U.S. policy.