Trump has declared himself "acting president of Venezuela". PHOTO

US President Donald Trump has called himself the "acting president of Venezuela."

He posted a photo stylised as a screenshot from Wikipedia on Truth Social, according to Censor.NET.

The screenshot, which has been widely shared online, states that Trump allegedly "assumed office" in January 2026.

This move caused a storm of reactions on social media and surprise among political analysts, as Donald Trump does not officially hold any government positions in Venezuela.

There have been no official comments from the White House or representatives of the Venezuelan opposition regarding this publication.

What preceded this?

On the morning of 3 January, powerful explosions rocked the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
CBS News journalist Jennifer Jacobs wrote on Twitter: "President Trump ordered strikes on sites inside Venezuela including military facilities, U.S. officials said, as the administration early Saturday ratcheted up its campaign against the regime of President Nicolás Maduro."
Later, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US military operation against Venezuela had been completed. The country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been detained and is currently under the control of the US authorities.
It later became known that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cecilia Flores, will face a number of charges and will appear before a New York court.
Venezuela has sent a request to the UN Security Council Secretariat for an urgent meeting of the Security Council in connection with the United States' attacks on the country.