In a triumphalistic manner, Donald Trump assured this Wednesday that in Venezuela “they are dancing in the streets” due to the money that is entering ndo to the country for new oil investments driven after the easing of sanctions and the rapprochement between Washington and Caracas.

During an event at the White House, Trump stated that the Venezuelan energy sector is going through renewed interest by large US companies.

“People in Venezuela are dancing in the streets because a lot of money is coming in,” said the president when referring to the oil agreements reached in the recent months.

The Republican added that he held a private dinner with executives of the main oil companies of the United States, including Chevron and ExxonMobil, to discuss business opportunities in the South American country.

However, according to a recent report in The New York Times, the information portrays a Venezuela divided in two after the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro by the United States: on the one hand, a political elite and business arial that celebrates a supposed economic recovery driven by oil and openness to foreign investments; on the other hand, an exhausted population that remains trapped in poverty, fear and repression.

Although the new scenario has brought signs of openness, such as the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the return of investors, the newspaper questions the idea of a true “renaissance.”

However, Trump's statements come amid a growing openness toward foreign investment in the Venezuelan energy industry, historically affected by sanctions, nationalizations, and operational deterioration.

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods recently confirmed that the company is evaluating new opportunities in Venezuela following regulatory changes promoted by the interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez and backed by the Trump administration.

Despite this, Woods had maintained until a few months a much cautious stance. In January he classified Venezuela as an “uninvestable” country (“not suitable for investment”) due to the lack of legal guarantees and history of expropriations.

According to Reuters, Trump met this week with executives from Chevron and ExxonMobil to discuss Venezuela's energy future and possible investments. ones on a large scale and although Washington's official speech has been optimistic, several oil companies maintain reserves about the Venezuelan scenario.

In previous meetings at the White House, sector executives warned that fully recovering Venezuelan oil production would require structural reforms, political stability and billions of dollars in investment.

According to estimates cited by Fortune, rebuilding the Venezuelan energy industry could require more than $100 billion dollars and more than a decade of work.