U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio watches as President Donald Trump addresses reporters after U.S. military operations in Venezuela at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026.
Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States would commit resources to help Venezuela recover after two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck near the country’s northern coastline, toppling structures in Caracas and leading officials to declare a state of emergency.
“The U.S. stands ready, willing, and able to help,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday evening in the United States. He said he had directed federal agencies to be prepared to “move quickly,” describing Venezuelans as America’s “new and great friends.”
Earlier Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Washington had been communicating with Venezuelan officials and was working to mobilize aid for the South American country.
Senior State Department official Jeremy Lewin said the department had activated a disaster assistance team and task force to coordinate urgent support for Venezuelans, including search-and-rescue personnel, medical supplies and broader humanitarian aid.
The U.S. Geological Survey issued two back-to-back red alerts through its PAGER system, estimating a 41% likelihood that deaths could surpass 10,000 and a 17% chance the toll could climb to 100,000. The agency also warned that the disaster could reduce Venezuela’s GDP by as much as 7%.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, announced a state of emergency during a national address Wednesday night and later reported that 32 people had died and 700 were injured, Reuters said.
In a video message posted on X Thursday morning, Rodriguez thanked the Trump administration for providing “support and solidarity,” and the Dominican Republic for sending rescue teams to Venezuela.
China and Brazil have sent humanitarian aid to the country, she said, and the Qatar government has prepared a rescue brigade set to arrive Thursday.
Rescue workers and municipal police officers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026.
Manaure Quintero | Afp | Getty Images
The quakes are among the strongest to strike the country in the past century. Venezuela lies in a seismically active zone where the Caribbean Plate meets the South American Plate.
The swift U.S. offer of assistance reflects a degree of diplomatic realignment between the Trump administration and the Venezuelan interim government, led by Rodriguez. Washington has exerted control over Venezuela’s oil exports after a January military intervention that seized the country’s then-president, Nicolas Maduro.
The U.S. has remained Venezuela’s largest oil buyer since January, with the estimated value of US-controlled exports surging to $3.7 billion in April from $600 million in January, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, estimating $8 billion in flows have moved through the arrangement with little transparency or oversight. India and Spain are the next largest recipients.
