STORY: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (December 22) the United States would maybe keep and maybe sell the oil it had seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks, adding the United States would also keep the seized ships.

"Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it," Trump said, adding it might also be used to replenish the United States' strategic reserves.

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VIDEO SHOWS: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WITH MEDIA, SOUNDBITES FROM TRUMP

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SHOWS: PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 22, 2025) (UNRESTRICTED POOL - Access all)

1. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DURING PRESS BRIEFING

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "The oil that has been seized, the United States seized 1.9 million barrels of oil on December 10th."

TRUMP: "Wer're going to keep it."

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "Where's it going to, are we going to sell it?"

TRUMP: "Maybe we'll sell it. Maybe we'll keep it. Maybe we'll will use it in the strategic reserves. We're keeping it. We're keeping the ships also."

3. TRUMP DURING EVENT

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "About Venezuela, have you spoken to American oil companies that have had their assets seized about what a post Maduro Venezuela would mean for them?"

TRUMP: "Yes. I have. All of them, the big ones. I have."

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "Why should Maduro take your threats seriously?"

TRUMP: "He can do whatever he wants."

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "What's your end game?"

TRUMP: "There's no answer. He could do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we've ever had, and by far the biggest we've ever had in South America. He could do whatever he wants, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something. If he plays tough, it'll be the last time he's ever able to play tough."

6. TRUMP DURING EVENT

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized the United States by saying, well, the shouthwest is stolen land and that it should be returned to Latin America. I just wanted to know what your response to that."

TRUMP: "He has to watch because, you know, he's got drug factories. They make cocaine in Colombia and he's no friend of the United States. He's very bad, very bad guy. And he's got to watch his ass because he makes cocaine and they send it into the United States of America from Colombia. We love the Colombian people. I love the Colombian people. They're great people, energetic, smart, great. But their new leader is a troublemaker. And he better watch it. He better close up those cocaine factories. They have at least three major cocaine factories. We know where they are. He better close them up fast. And by the way, it's made and sold into the United States, comes through Mexico."

8. TRUMP DURING EVENT

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

JOURNALIST (OFF CAMERA): "...the ultimate goal in Venezuela to force Maduro from power."

TRUMP: "Well, I think it probably would. I can't tell, it's up to him what he wants to do. I think it'd be smart for him to do that. But again, we're going to find out. Look, Venezuela did terrible things in the United States. They sent hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people into our open border. They sent their criminals. They sent their prisoners. They sent their drug dealers. They sent their mentally insane and incompetent people."

10. TRUMP DURING EVENT