Trump offers aid after deadly earthquakes devastate Venezuela

Back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes flattened buildings in Caracas and pushed Venezuela into a state of emergency as Washington moved to send aid. Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States stood “ready, willing, and able to help,” and the State Department had already mobilized a disaster assistance team and a task force to coordinate search-and-rescue crews, medical supplies and other humanitarian resources.

Delcy Rodríguez put the toll at at least 164 dead and 971 injured. The U.S. Geological Survey’s PAGER system issued two red alerts and estimated a 41 percent probability that fatalities could exceed 10,000, with a 17 percent chance they could reach 100,000. The agency also projected that the damage could cut Venezuela’s gross domestic product by as much as 7 percent.

Rodríguez later thanked the Trump administration for its “support and solidarity” as help arrived from China, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, while a Qatar rescue brigade was expected to reach the country. Christopher Landau, the deputy secretary of state, was in touch with Venezuelan authorities as the response took shape.

The aid offer came as the Trump administration was already widening commercial ties with Venezuela beyond crude. On February 13, the State Department was rapidly implementing Trump’s vision to reopen and develop Venezuela’s oil industry. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had already issued Venezuela General License 46 on January 29, authorizing U.S.-incorporated firms to market Venezuelan oil, followed by General License 47 on February 3 for U.S.-origin diluent sales, General License 48 on February 10 for goods, equipment and services tied to Venezuela’s oil and gas sector, and General Licenses 49 and 50 on February 13 for contingent contracts and some expanded operations.

In May, Jarrod Agen had been shuttling between Caracas and Washington to help broker investment deals for U.S. companies. Nicolás Maduro remained in power after disputed 2018 and 2024 elections and began a third term on January 10, 2025, while the administration also coordinated prisoner swaps and removal flights and designated Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles as foreign terrorist organizations.