LIVE: Trump Speaks After Airstrikes on Venezuela #politics

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 12, 2026 at 13:47  |  4:43:51  |  Bloomberg Markets
Speakers
Eric Shatzer — Editorial Director, Bloomberg New Economy
Bob McNally — President and Founder, Rapidan Energy Group
Julian Lee — Senior Oil Market Reporter, Bloomberg
Donald Trump — President of the United States
Nathan Hager — Co-host, Bloomberg Daybreak
Terry Haynes — Founder, Pangia Policy
Chris Kennedy — Economic Statecraft Lead, Bloomberg Economics

Summary

Bloomberg special coverage reacts to US overnight airstrikes on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro, who is being taken to New York to face narco-terrorism charges. President Trump says the US will run Venezuela until a transition, keep the oil embargo, and bring in US oil companies to rebuild the industry. Analysts debate the oil-market impact, with several seeing limited near-term supply disruption and a soft crude market, while Venezuela's defaulted sovereign and PDVSA debt could rally if a stable transition emerges.

  • US forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid; they face charges in the Southern District of New York.
  • Trump says the US will temporarily run Venezuela, keep the Venezuelan oil embargo in place, and involve US oil companies in rebuilding the oil sector.
  • Oil analysts see only modest near-term supply loss from the Venezuela blockade and expect a soft crude market amid oversupply.
  • Venezuelan sovereign and PDVSA debt trades around 25-30 cents and could rally if a stable post-Maduro transition materializes.
  • Legal and political debate focuses on congressional authorization, international law, and the risk of a power vacuum in Venezuela.
  • China, Cuba, and Russia reaction is closely watched, with expectations of economic pushback and regional spillover risks.
  • Markets are closed for the weekend, leaving investors to assess implications before futures reopen Sunday night.
Ideas
Julian Lee Senior Oil Market Reporter, Bloomberg 67:21
Venezuela disruption has limited oil impact
The Venezuela disruption should not have a large or lasting impact on oil; Venezuelan reserves are mostly heavy sour/tar-sands crude that is difficult and expensive to process, regime-change outcomes in Iraq and Libya hurt oil industries, China can replace those barrels, and the oil market is facing a glut.
Bob McNally President and Founder, Rapidan Energy Group 104:44
Oil stays soft on modest supply loss
Near-term oil-market impact from Venezuela should be modest and prices should stay soft, as the tanker blockade has removed only about 300,000 barrels a day of production, markets have largely ignored geopolitical supply disruptions since 2019, and global balances are heading into oversupply.
Eric Shatzer Editorial Director, Bloomberg New Economy 121:29
Venezuelan debt rallies on stable transition
Venezuela has about $30 billion of sovereign debt and $30 billion of PDVSA debt outstanding; both trade around 25-30 cents on the dollar and have rallied in recent weeks. If a stable post-Maduro transition emerges and Venezuela moves to make good on its defaulted debt, the bonds could rally much more; absent a stable transition, recovery and price direction are uncertain.
Donald Trump President of the United States 196:11
US oil majors get Venezuela opportunity
The US plans to run Venezuela temporarily, keep the embargo on Venezuelan oil, and bring in large US oil companies to spend billions repairing Venezuela's badly broken oil infrastructure, with the companies reimbursed and oil revenue used to benefit Venezuela and reimburse the US.
Up Next

This Bloomberg Markets video, published January 12, 2026, features Julian Lee, Bob McNally, Eric Shatzer, Donald Trump discussing WTI, Venezuelan sovereign debt, PDVSA debt, XLE. 4 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Julian Lee, Bob McNally, Eric Shatzer, Donald Trump  · Tickers: WTI, Venezuelan sovereign debt, PDVSA debt, XLE