President Donald Trump has a long record of speaking freely in moments that call for restraint — remarks delivered without much apparent concern for how they might land, only to resurface later with consequences he did not seem to anticipate at the time. That pattern was on display again Sunday , when Trump was pressed by reporters about who was in the know ahead of an alleged a surprise U.S. operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a House Republican retreat at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. House Republicans will discuss their 2026 legislative agenda at the meeting. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One whether he had tipped off the oil companies ahead of the operation. “Did you speak with the oil companies before the operation? Did you tip them off?” a reporter asked. “Yes,” Trump said before the reporter even finished. “Before and after. And they wanna go in.And they’re going to do a great job for the people of Venezuela.” ‘Say What!!!’: Karoline Leavitt Just Fumbled the Script While Defending Trump, Lets Something Slip She Can’t Take Back — and Somehow Makes It Worse Seconds Later Hours later, Trump tried to backpedal, clarifying that the administration had been discussing the idea of taking action and exploring what such a move might look like without exposing the specifics of the operation. “The oil companies were absolutely aware that we were thinking about doing something,” the president told NBC. “But we didn’t tell them we were going to do it.” The controversy landed amid growing concern over the administration’s decision not to notify Congress in advance, including the bipartisan Gang of Eight, typically briefed on covert or sensitive national security actions. Administration officials have said lawmakers were excluded out of fear that leaks from Capitol Hill could jeopardize the mission. Critics now argue the rationale rings hollow given Trump’s acknowledgment that he consulted Big Oil. Online reaction was caustic, with commenters questioning the legality of the president’s actions. View on Threads “Does he realise he is saying all this out loud?” one wrote. “Is there a single law in this country that guy believes applies to him?” another asked.“So a premeditated congressionally unauthorized invasion to kidnap the president and let the oil companies in???” read another post. Still more accused Trump of enriching elites under the guise of national security.“It was never about drugs,” one said. “It is always about making the rich even more wealthy – including trump stuffing his own pockets and those of his family.” Another observed: “So he was literally killing people at sea for months just to fake a cover story this takeover was about drugs, all the while conspiring with the oil execs to take over oil. That is beyond sickening and they all need to be held accountable.” Chevron is currently the only major U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves — about 17 percent of the global total — but produces less than 1 percent of global supply, according to The Associated Press. “Chevron remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets. We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations,” spokesperson Bill Turenne told AP. Trump has argued that oil revenue would offset the costs of U.S. involvement.“It won’t cost us anything, because the money coming out of the ground is very substantial,” he said, adding, “We’re going to get reimbursed for everything that we spend.”  Meanwhile, another flashpoint emerged around possible insider trading, with one commenter accusing the administration of inviting financial abuse. “Opens the door wide open for insider trading. I don’t know how US people put up with this.” That accusation gained traction after the Wall Street Journal reported that an anonymous trader made more than $400,000 betting on Maduro’s removal on Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction platform, shortly before the operation. The trader placed increasingly aggressive bets in the days leading up to the attack, with the final wager coming just hours before Trump ordered the military to move forward.  Holy cow.Yesterday, a new account on Polymarket made a massive bet that Maduro would be out of office by January 31st.Today, the United States carried out strikes on Venezuela and captured Maduro.The trader has now made over $400K.Insider or lucky? pic.twitter.com/dHqThzccuB— Quiver Quantitative (@QuiverQuant) January 3, 2026 By Monday, Cabinet officials were preparing their first formal outreach to oil executives. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum planned calls with CEOs to encourage investment, following months of informal discussions. Publicly, the White House projected confidence. “All of our oil companies are ready and willing to make big investments in Venezuela that will rebuild their oil infrastructure, which was destroyed by the illegitimate Maduro regime,” spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. “American oil companies will do an incredible job for the people of Venezuela and will represent the United States well.” Industry analysts, however, warn that restoring Venezuela’s oil output would require enormous capital and time. Elliott Abrams, Trump’s former Venezuela envoy: “The United States cannot run Venezuela…It’s just not going to work.”Says “the worst point” of Trump’s presser was “the insult” of Machado, the opposition leaderIs it legal for US to take VZ oil?“No…It’s not our oil.” pic.twitter.com/gzvxbWEdPm— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 4, 2026 Estimates put the cost at more than $180 billion over a decade to return production to historic levels, with companies demanding security guarantees before committing. Even archconservative longtime Republican foreign policy hand Elliott Abrams cautioned that Trump was overselling the likelihood of a rapid corporate return. “The president seems to suggest that he will make the decision, but that is not right — the boards of these companies will make the decisions,” Abrams said. “That doesn’t mean they’re going to invest.” ‘Does He Realize He’s Saying All This Out Loud?’: Trump Can’t Stop Himself, Jumps In Mid-Question — and Shows Zero Awareness He Just Ignited a Firestorm ...read more read less