Trump Signs Executive Order to Shield Venezuelan Oil Revenue and Lure US Investors
President Trump signed an executive order protecting Venezuelan oil revenue from judicial seizures to encourage US oil companies like ExxonMobil to invest in the country's recovery.
Venezuela has the oil, but the legal risks have remained too high for Wall Street. President Donald Trump is stepping in as the ultimate guarantor to make the nation 'investable' again. On January 10, 2026, the White House made public a new executive order designed to protect Venezuelan oil revenue from being seized in judicial proceedings or by private claimants.
Context of the Trump Venezuela Oil Revenue Executive Order
The order follows a high-stakes meeting on January 9 involving Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio with top oil executives. During the session, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods warned that Venezuela’s current commercial framework is effectively "uninvestable" due to its history of asset seizures and political instability.
To assuage these concerns, the administration is framing the effort as a U.S.-led economic takeover. The Trump administration plans to control the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned crude. Under the new order, these funds are classified as property held for "governmental and diplomatic purposes," placing them out of reach for private creditors.
Legal Underpinnings and Economic Ambitions
Invoking the National Emergencies Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Trump declared the potential for judicial interference in oil revenues an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the U.S. This legal maneuver aims to provide the certainty required for ExxonMobil and other giants to rebuild the infrastructure of a post-Maduro Venezuela.
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