POTUS says oil businessman Harry Sargeant III does not represent administration
Amid media mumblings over a Florida oil magnate and his supposed influence over Venezuelan oil reserves, President Trump set the record straight
by Summer Lane | February 13, 2026
President Donald Trump responded to a media report this week about a man who supposedly holds deal-making power in the Venezuelan region, countering the suggestion with a bit of clarity and some news about the country’s continued development under U.S. supervision.
“There is a story about a man named Harry Sargeant III in The Wall Street Journal,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “He has no authority, in any way, shape, or form, to act on behalf of the United States of America, nor does anyone else that is not approved by the State Department. Without this approval, no one is authorized to represent our Country.”
Who is Harry Sargeant III? Likely unknown to most Americans, Sargeant is a wealthy businessman who has apparently been involved in the Venezuelan oil industry since the 1980s, according to a report from OilPrice.com.
Sargeant has reportedly helped arrange past discussions between Venezuelan officials and a U.S. envoy and has allegedly even spoken about developing Venezuelan oil reserves with American companies to the Trump administration, according to the outlet.
In the Wall Street Journal article, Sargeant told the outlet that he was influential, to a degree, in advising the president on how to deal with the aftermath of Nicolas Maduro’s arrest by U.S. military forces.
The president’s statement on Thursday strongly disputes that narrative.
Regardless, President Trump also provided an update on the developments coming out of Venezuela, which has recently begun to reopen its oil exports to the world in the weeks following Maduro’s arrest and Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s cooperation with the U.S. government.
“Relations between Venezuela and the United States have been, to put it mildly, extraordinary!” President Trump stated. “We are dealing very well with President Delcy Rodriguez, and her Representatives. Oil is starting to flow, and large amounts of money, unseen for many years, will soon be greatly helping the people of Venezuela.”
Photo: Adobe Stock
