President Donald Trump visited an oil tanker in Texas on Tuesday carrying the first shipment of Venezuelan crude under an agreement reached after U.S. forces captured former President Nicolas Maduro in January.
The tanker Angerona arrived with one million barrels of oil, which Trump described as a gift from Venezuela's interim government. He said the shipment represented the start of billions of barrels to come under a deal granting the United States access to a fifth of Venezuela's crude reserves. The White House had previously indicated that oil from the arrangement would reach U.S. reserves around November.
Trump made the remarks while campaigning in Corpus Christi for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton ahead of the midterms. He also pointed to the vessel from the rally stage and noted plans to process the oil in Texas refineries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to join the visit to Port Arthur.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the delivery marked the beginning of expanded oil flows benefiting American energy supplies.
The United States has worked with acting President Delcy Rodriguez since Maduro's removal. Earlier shipments of Venezuelan crude to the U.S. have increased this year following the change in leadership.
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