In an extraordinary military operation, the United States launched a large-scale military operation in Caracas, Venezuela with special forces seizing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. There is a pending 2020 indictment of Maduro in the Southern District of New York where he is expected to be taken to face prosecution.
The operation comes not long after the 37th anniversary of the capture of Manuel Antonio Noriega on December 20, 1989. Noriega was convicted of drug and money laundering offenses and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was tried in Miami, Florida.
He was indicted in a four-count superseding indictment with Diosdado Cabello Rondón, 56, head of Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly; Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios aka “El Pollo,” 59, former director of military intelligence; Clíver Antonio Alcalá Cordones, 58, former General in the Venezuelan armed forces; Luciano Marín Arango aka “Ivan Marquez,” 64, a member of the FARC’s Secretariat, which is the FARC’s highest leadership body; and Seuxis Paucis Hernández Solarte aka “Jesús Santrich,” 53, a member of the FARC’s Central High Command, which is the FARC’s second-highest leadership body.
This operation will be justified as executing the criminal warrant and responding to an international drug cartel, a very similar legal framework to the one used against Noriega. There is precedent supporting that earlier operation, which will now be used to defend the actions in Venezuela.
Here is part of the earlier description from the Justice Department of the indicted conduct:
“Maduro helped manage and ultimately lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. As he gained power in Venezuela, Maduro participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated with narcotics traffickers in Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and solicited assistance from FARC leadership in training an unsanctioned militia group that functioned, in essence, as an armed forces unit for the Cartel of the Suns. In March 2020, Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.”
Democratic members quickly denounced the operation as unlawful. They may want to review past cases, particularly the decision related to the Noriega prosecution after his capture by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
Representative Jim McGovern (D., Mass) declared:
“Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela. He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans—but somehow we have unlimited funds for war??”
Trump does not need congressional approval for this type of operation. Presidents, including Democratic presidents, have launched lethal attacks regularly against individuals. President Barack Obama killed an American citizen under this “kill list” policy. If Obama can vaporize an American citizen without even a criminal charge, Trump can capture a foreign citizen with a pending criminal indictment without prior congressional approval.
Ordinarily, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and other international agreements require the United States to notify the embassy of a foreign national arrested and held in the United States. Notice seems a tad superfluous in this case.
In his appeal, Noriega argued that his arrest violated international law under the head-of-state immunity doctrine. The district court rejected Noriega’s head-of-state immunity claim because the United States government never recognized Noriega as Panama’s legitimate ruler — an argument that will be made in the Maduro prosecution.
The United States for the Eleventh Circuit also rejected the immunity claim.
Noriega also argued that his capture violated the Treaty Providing for the Extradition of Criminals, May 25, 1904, United States of America-Republic of Panama, 34 Stat. 2851 (“U.S.-Panama Extradition Treaty”). The Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Alvarez-Machain, 504 U.S. 655 (1992), however, was found to bar this argument. The issue was whether he was abducted to the United States with a superseding extradition treaty. The Eleventh Circuit held:
The article of the U.S.-Panama Extradition Treaty upon which Noriega relies for his extradition treaty claim contains almost the same language as the provision of the U.S.-Mexico Extradition Treaty at issue in Alvarez-Machain. See U.S.-Panama Extradition Treaty, art. 5 (“Neither of the contracting parties shall be bound to deliver up its own citizen or subject ․”)…
Under Alvarez-Machain, to prevail on an extradition treaty claim, a defendant must demonstrate, by reference to the express language of a treaty and/or the established practice thereunder, that the United States affirmatively agreed not to seize foreign nationals from the territory of its treaty partner. Noriega has not carried this burden, and therefore, his claim fails.
The Noriega case offers ample support for the Trump Administration, which has had an outstanding arrest warrant for over five years. He is not viewed as the duly elected leader of Venezuela and has been tied to a criminal drug cartel.
The action will also have a major impact on foreign policy. The Monroe Doctrine just became the Trump Doctrine. This action not only confronted Venezuela but also Cuba, which was supplying the security around Maduro. Presumably, Cuban security may have been involved in the firefight. While cutting off vital oil to Cuba, the Trump Administration just delivered a blow against the Cuban regime — arguably one of the most stinging defeats since crushing the Cuban forces in Grenada in 1983.
Legally, Trump has the upper hand in this case. Maduro will replay the arguments from the Noriega case. However, he presents an even weaker case on the merits under the controlling precedent than did Noriega.
N.B.: This column also appeared on Fox.com
. DJT REALLY hates drugs and drug cartels. The Venezuelans here will be happy to return home to familiar surroundings and people.
The dems are involved in the narco state and mafia state aka cartel state. Mr. McGovern, next time DJT strikes he’ll telephone the thugs first and tell them, “We should arrive around 9 P.M., GMT.”
Congress is little better than a high school student council.
Great post, PT.
A Biden or Obama judge will cut him loose because it is Trump.
Put absolutely NOTHING past the democrat judges in America. They seem to take great pride in granting releases to hardcore felons, murderers, rapists, and terrorists. If it undermines our Republic and defies common-sense, the left is on board.
The Tyrant Maduro had every chance to escape arrest if he had just paid the hefty stay out of jail tribute fee to our Commander in Chief, who has a soft spot for billionaire drug dealing felons like the former President of Honduras.
Maduro made the mistake of not paying off Trump sooner.
Now he will have to pay TRIPLE for his pardon.
Oil is worth a lot more than bananas
https://www.rainymorningchronicle.com/2026/01/trading-bananas-for-oil.html
Oil is worth a lot more than bananas
Imagine how impressive it is for one of the Never Trumper pedophiles/Code Pink Bush Republocrats, who would rather have seen first Clinton instead of Trump, and then celebrated the Biden presidency instead a Trump reelection posting that line. And that link to back your proclamation up!!!!
And imagine if they were so dishonest that they decided “Hey… maybe I shouldn’t mention that link is to my failed blog – avoiding doing that might net me a few monetizing clicks if I don’t tell this audience that’s my blog as a Never Trumper/Code Pink Republicrat”.
Explain to everybody, Never Trumper/Code Pink Molovinsky, how Trump is going to take Venezuela’s oil – just like Bush (while you despaired when his younger brother Jeb!, got kicked to the curb for Trump) when he took Kuwait and Iran’s oil after kicking Saddam’s ass?
Michael Molovinsky wants you to click his link https://www.rainymorningchronicle.com/2026/01/trading-bananas-for-oil.html Because (apparently) his Ouija Board has told him that Trump’s action to seize Maduro was about Trump getting Venezuela’s oil… exactly like Bush went into Kuwait and Iraq for nothing other than to take their oil!
He decided we were more likely to click on that link if he hid the fact that it’s a link to his career as a failed would-be city politician and his failed blogs. But I decided to take the hit on behalf of the rest of us and clicked that link. So spare you the same pain here’s what I found in his blog:
1. Not a single word of criticism of President Bush in the first two years of Molovinsky’s blog. Not a single line questioning Commander In Chief Bush’s performance in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars he took us into six years earlier after 9/11.
2. July 2007 while Democrats are choosing Clinton to run against Trump: he praises Clinton’s political position on attacking the Second Amendment as “pragmatic, honoring the Second Amendment”. Praises both Obama and Clinton as skilled orators. Worries that not enough Americans will rally behind Obama and his “Audacity Of Hope”.
3. Fast forward to November 2016: Obama is celebrated for having foreign policy chops – despite Benghazi, of which there is no mention of that disaster where Obama and Biden deserted Americans to be murdered by Iran backed hajji terrorists. Oh… and John Bolton is celebrated for having The Right Stuff “I was hoping that Bolton would be a candidate against Obama in 2012. Likewise, I was hoping that he would be a candidate in 2016.”
If you’re looking for similar criticisms and insinuations towards Bush and Obama there are repeatedly, and today, about Trump, you’ll have to look deep and hard to find any evidence of them..
Oh yes… way back in the first months 2017, the first months of Trump’s presidency: “There is more vitriol based on deceit toward Trump than I have ever witnessed in politics. The fact is I am bewildered by the misinformation and distortion concerning the Trump administration. ”
Now Molovinsky wants to tell us here (and on his failed city blogs) that Trump sent our forces to Venezuela to apprehend Maduro for…. wait for it… Venezuela’s oil!!!!! No “misinformation and distortion concerning the Trump administration. ” there!
Right you are Michael.
The Tyrant Maduro had every chance to escape arrest if he had just paid the hefty stay out of jail tribute fee to our Commander in Chief, who has a soft spot for billionaire drug dealing felons like the former President of Honduras.
Maduro made the mistake of believing that, if he just killed enough Americans with drugs, Trump would pay him the same BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to continue killing white Americans – just like Obama and Biden paid Iran’s equally tyrannical terrorist leaders to kill mostly white Americans in Afghanistan with weapons and kill mostly white Americans in America with their drugs.
The not so secret story of how Obama and Biden let Hezbollah run their drug cartels in America for Iran
https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/
And if that doesn’t help the memories of Biden’s Bolshevik Birthing Boys, there’s this if they don’t trust their own Politico:
Hezbollah, Drugs, and the Obama Administration: A Closer Look At How Obama And Biden Stopped The FBI’s Operation Cassandra
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/hezbollah-drugs-and-obama-administration-closer-look-damning-politico-piece
The Tyrant Presidents Obama and Biden happily allowed their favorite Islamic terrorists, Hezbollah, to run free in America while THEY paid hundreds of billions in American taxpayer tribute fees to Hezbollah’s commander’s, Iran’s tyrannical Mad Mullahs to not only kill American soldiers in Afghanistan – but civilian Americans home in America.
While Democrat Useless Idiots celebrated and defended Obama and Biden PAYING foreign terrorist dictators to kill Americans, their fallback position is that Maduro failed to pay high enough bribes to Trump. Just like they spent years claiming Putin also successfully bought Trump and stole the 2016 election to make him Putin’s Puppet..
Well, the Democrat Useless Idiot that penned that post and claim sure changed my opinion of not only Biden and Obama, but Trump’s actions regarding Venezuela killing Americans as well!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! BRIBERY BIDEN, THE OVAL OFFICE HOUSE PLANT, FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN IN 2028!!!!
Maduro was voted out of office, but illegitimately stayed on. He turned his nation into a forward operating base for the Axis of Evil to wage economic and espionage warfare against America. Trump’s move was brilliant, it repurposed that forward operating base and sent a signal to all players in Iran that he was not kidding when he said we’re locked and loaded.
People who hate America and love the Mullahs’ terrorist rule are crying their eyes out right now. Some of them are commenting here today.
Maduro was voted out of office but stayed on…..like Trump wanted when he lost the 2020 election. Mmmm….interesting.
Trump had every right to see election results were legit! JUST LIKE EVERY CANDIDATE!! And you know that!! BTW Clinton still says she won; and it was taken from her. MORE ANON LIES!!
but stayed on…..like Trump wanted when he lost the 2020 election.
Trump-haters’ minds are so scrambled by their own toxic hate that they don’t even know the facts. Biden was sworn in on January 20, 2021, as scheduled. Trump questioned the validity of an election that was riddled with fraud, as we now know from places like Georgia. He questioned the election, he didn’t stay on illegally.
“Maduro was voted out of office but stayed on…..like Trump wanted when he lost the 2020 election. Mmmm….interesting.”
Mmmmm… interesting indeed! Is that you Bribery Biden, who repeatedly assured us “the 2016 election was stolen by Putin, but my 2020 election was the most transparent and fair election ever!!!!”
Joe, you may have left office as The Oval Office House Plant – but surely you remember that the day his term as president ended, Trump actually did leave the office of president.
Your puppeteers who ran the Auto-Pen should help you with your memory; rather than just confining themselves to watering you regularly and changing your diapers.
Trump won his 3rd election in 2024, so your point is mute.
Maduro won the last election like Biden won in 2020 – through fraud.
What you are witnessing below is the full mental breakdown of a full blown case of TDS. It is often triggered as …..TRUMP WINS AGAIN! Reportedly, it even got better as our Special Ops guys took a giantSHIT on Commie Hugo’s mausoleum.
Sean Penn is devastated 🤣🤡
Maduro is a highly corrupt leader, a known criminal who used his high office to make billions for himself, and has manipulated elections to stay in power, has used his military against his own citizens, has protected his corrupt friends and punished his political enemies.
If we ever had a President like that, other countries might consider invading us to kidnap him as well.
What if he was also a pedophile?
Would that tip the scales?
Would other countries finally come in to remove that guy and save that country?
Like you??
What if he was also a pedophile? Would other countries finally come in to remove that guy and save that country?
Well, they certainly didn’t when we had a daughter raping pedophile in the Oval Office. Nor did they attempt that with two earlier Democrat presidents who kept the serial pedophile and rapist, Harvey Weinstein, as their special personal advisors in the White House for eight years each to give their daughters very special attention and grooming.
Democrats are projecting their sicknesses after getting high snorting their own farts.
Clearly referencing sleepy joe siting on the side of the pool letting little boys pet is leg hair 🤮
Why bring Clinton and Biden into the conversation?
Even if the kidnapping of a foreign citizen and government leader may be legal from a US perspective (which is not only a narrow minded perspective but also one of arrogance and ignorance), it was a very dumb thing to do. Trump just opened Pandora‘s box. China never recognized any Taiwanese government. So China is technically backed by “US law” to land a coup in Taiwan – however I don‘t think that in such case this would be the official position of a US government (double standard!). Furthermore Russia didn‘t recognize Selenskiy‘s “new” term. Where will all this lead to? The US is like the EU, a wannabe leader of a “free world” with phony “Western values” and no one seems to care or recognize this.
What Trump did is not the case how any government should deal with foreign issues – even if you don‘t agree. Unfortunately US foreign policy has never been very smart.
Hey!
Dave’s not here man…
Capturing and bringing to justice a drug trafficker is not kidnapping.
Dave V. says Even if the kidnapping of a foreign citizen and government leader may be legal from a US perspective (which is not only a narrow minded perspective but also one of arrogance and ignorance), it was a very dumb thing to do. Trump just opened Pandora‘s box.
Hey Dave! That’s SO similar to your proclamation just a few short months ago that Trump bombing the nuclear weapons factory of Obama and Biden’s favorite hajji terrorists in Iran was a dumb move that would result in WWIII with nukes flying around the world within days!
And look at Iran and us now… nobody and no country is glowing in the dark as you and so many Democrats predicted!
And Dave…. you never once said that Obama and Biden protecting and enabling Iran’s Mad Mullahs and their terrorists while they were busily killing Americans in Afghanistan and here at home in America was a dumb thing to do.
Nor did you warn us that Biden abandoning Afghanistan and all the Americans and American allies in Afghanistan to hajji terrorists was a dumb move that would open Pandora’s box for Biden’s business partners, the ChiCom government.
You’re such a deep and consistent thinker on all these issues Dave – you have a great career ahead of you here changing the minds of Republicans with your Internet Lawyer definitions of “kidnapping”!
And you’re in sync with Democrat politicians saying exactly the same thing – you’re surely going to win over the Democrat trolls sent here to repeat the same definition! How’s that for a random coincidence!
X will probably come along to give your prognostication a positive vote! After all… he could have written it himself, except it lacks the usual smears of Professor Turley.
What a bastardization of the English language ……. An indicted Narco-terrorist dictator = “foreign citizen” vs., the peaceful government of Taiwan being overthrown by a communist country …… nice try, but you’re comparing apples to asphalt.
To the extent what just happened in Venezuella effects China it is that the US just pulled off a massive complex military operation Flawlessly.
While China’s military si more capable than Venezuellas – it is significantly poorer trained than the US and has significantly poorer quality control.
Ukraine is inflicting 3:1 casulties on Russia – Russia’s military is slightly inferior to China, its quality control about the same though its technical design is superior to china. But Ukraine is not even close to the technical proficiency of the US nor close to US in technology and training – particularly the complex coordinated operations that the US just pulled off in Venezuella.
The only military in the world CLOSE to being able to pull off the combined opertions the US just pulled off is the IDF – and the IDF has no navy of consequence.
The most potent navy in the world today is the US navy – with no one else even close. Maybe the UK is in a distant 2nd place – though the Japanese are resurgent as a military power. In fact it is likely that in a Conflict with China the Japense would defeat China’s navy without US assistance. China has the largest numbers of ships but it is way behind in tonnage. It is alos poorly trained and has no consequential experience fighting a naval war. It takes a century and Experience to build a capable Navy. The US Navy has punched way above its weigh since the Revolution. Now it is the most capable and the heaviest weight by far.
Any Effort by China to conduct operations against Taiwan would likely prove disastrous.
The message China is getting is NOT – we can get away with kidnapping a foreign leader,
It is a conflict with the US navy has a very high probability of ending in disaster.
China can not win a conflict with the US over Taiwan on paper where all weapons are presumed to be of equal quality and the militaries are presumed to be equal in training.
There was little doubt that he US would prevail if it Chose to capture Madoru. But though smaller in scale this was executed in the same way that Gulf War I was – a complete and total route of an enemy that on paper should have proven significantly more effective.
China MIGHT as a result of this continue to over estimate its own capabilities – it is likely that the Chinese are better than the Venezuellans. But not orders of magnitude better.
But this operation should completely dispell any idea that the US Navy is not unbelievably capable and incredibly well trained.
Further should China try something with Taiwan – China would be trying to do what the US did – Taiwan and the US would be in the far easier defensive role. It is unlikely that China could pull off an operation like this accross the Taiwan straight if the US and Japan sat out the fight.
China’s military is massive – though not much more capable than Russias – Still not something any country would want to face in a land war.
But taking Taiwan requires a 90m trip accross the Straights of Taiwan – it is a far more complex operation that Normandy.
Without complete dominance of the air and the sea the PLA would be slaughtered crossing the straight.
And that is just the militrary problems China would face.
Unlike Russia the Chinese economy is totally dependent on foreign trade which would stop completely overnight
Even if the rest of the world did not immediately stop trade with China as they mostly did with Russia, Chinas trade is almost entirely ocean born and the US would be able to trivially stop all trade with China. Even Japan alone is likely to be able to stop all chinese global trade.
Even if you assume that the Chinese navy is as capable in reality as it is on paper – it is NOT a true Blue Water Navy – it is a coastal Navy. Under optimal conditions it could protect Chinese trade about 300km past the Chinese coast – not accross the pacific or through the Indian ocean.
Nor is the Chinese navy capable of even coastal Trade protection concurrent with air and sea dominance of the straights of Taiwan.
There is a much higher than normal risk that China will attack Taiwan right now – but not because of Venezuella, but because there is excellent reason to suspect the Chinese economy is faltering, and the CCP leadership feels threatened.
Dying regimes do stupid things.
BREAKING NEWS:
DONALD TRUMP RECEIVES EXXON PEACE PRIZE
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G9xBeomXMAAasdf?format=jpg&name=large
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G9wzFxqXgAAUqqP?format=jpg&name=medium
https://x.com/CatRodriguez541/status/2004378616046702954/photo/1
Both Machado and Gonzalez dedicate their Pulitzer prize to PRESIDENT DONALD J TRUMP! I believe these two will be the new faces of Venezuela. Further, I have to believe Trump will assist the Oil companies and Venezuela in negotiating a good deal put together for both sides.
Maduro Removed From Power – democrat party hardest hit – https://x.com/ugaalf1/status/2007439714811298154/photo/1
At least this will bring down grocery prices
Does this mean we can put tariffs on bananas again since we now own a country that grows them?
Egg prices about to go down 6700%
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but today is the statutory date for the DOJ to explain its redactions in the Epstein file releases.
Just here to see how the Trumptards are defending Trump’s lie that it’s about stopping drugs coming into the country and how this regime is different cuz everyone’s gonna get rich. LOL.
🤮
And don’t give my your Trumptard crap that Obama and Biden allowed Iran and Hezbollah to run drug cartels in America.
I’m just here in hopes that my posts will get me a Grindr date with that cute Biden tranny Furry I post here in parallel with.
There is crisis-intervention counseling available -https://x.com/ugaalf1/status/2007439714811298154/photo/1
Update. The New York Times is damning Trump by faint praise.
While acknowledging Trump’s invasion of Venezuela was ‘illegal and unwise’, there was no need for the NYT to dwell on the shortcomings of Maduro – “Few people will feel any sympathy for Mr. Maduro. He is undemocratic and repressive, and has destabilized the Western Hemisphere in recent years.” – nor promote any other alternatives to fill the inevitable power void that will be left by Trump’s ‘illegal and unwise’ use of force in Venezuela.
The NYT should know better than most .. . Power abhors a vacuum.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/opinion/venezuela-attack-trump-us.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BlA.O5tS.6PAnFnneNRQ2&smid=url-share
dgsnowden says Update. The New York Times is damning Trump by faint praise… While acknowledging Trump’s invasion of Venezuela was ‘illegal and unwise’, yada yada
This is the exact same New York Times that spent YEARS assuring dgsnowden that the “Trump-Russia Dossier” dossier was 100% verified, proving that Trump was a bought and paid for Putin stooge who turned traitor in exchange for Putin helping him steal the 2016 election. And as they pointed out to dgsnowden and the other TDS Conspiracy Theories – they had the Pulitizer Prizes awarded for that investigative journalism to prove they were the GOAT when it came to identifying illegality!
*dgsnowden has shown remarkable staying power today, despite the ongoing day drinking and bouncing back and forth between here and Obama’s communist Young Turks’ YouTube channel, Washington Post, and New York Times!
Trump wants the US to run Venezuela for a while and control its oil. He seems to want to do that through the existing power structure there, if it cooperates. Rubio has spoken to Maduro’s VP who appears now to be the President. Trump opposes installing Gonzales or Merchado in power and hasn’t spoken to them.
These are all lies interesting developments. He seems to have eliminated Maduro not to promote regime change but to rely on the regime that survives to engineer a big policy change favorable to US interests. I have not heard him say anything about restoring “democracy” or the like. Actually very different from the neocon regime change wars.
Whether the Maduro regime survivors will play ball is another question, and critical to the success of the plan. Maybe there is already a deal in place.
“Trump wants the US to run Venezuela for a while and control its oil. ”
read this, (especially about the seized assets of U.S. companies and Venezuela never paying the judgment against it) then maybe refine your comment.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2026/01/03/venezuela-maduro-and-the-long-shadow-of-oil-expropriation/
Not sure what kind of refinement you have in mind. Trump wants US companies to control the production and sale of Venezuelan oil. He believes that will benefit those companies, lower the oil price by increasing supply and gain some leverage for the US over China and Cuba. This is how he sees the action as consistent with America First. It may be that the prior expropriation justifies this but that’s not what I was discussing.
If the remnants of the Maduro regime don’t go along, Trump will have to decide between a real regime change war and all that entails, continuing the pressure campaign or declaring victory and moving on.
By contrast with the Bush era neocons and the liberal interventionists, Trump sees little value in regime change for the promotion of democracy for its own sake. He’d be perfectly happy to work with the remnants of the Madura government so long as they do what he wants.
Daniel says: Not sure what kind of refinement you have in mind. Trump wants US companies to control the production and sale of Venezuelan oil. He believes that will benefit those companies, lower the oil price by increasing supply and gain some leverage for the US over China and Cuba.
1. What sources did you draw from to compose that analysis – other than your personal Ouija Board telling you what Trump is thinking and what he will do in the next weeks/months/years?
2. With that deep analysis, why did you make no mention of foreign nations with oil company’s who owned access to Venezuelan oil prior to the communists seizing that? The British, Dutch, French, Spanish and other non‑U.S. concessionaires All those countries aren’t going to say a word about Trump seizing oil assets belonging to their patroleum companies?
This is so remarkably like the voices proclaiming we were just minutes from war because, after bombing Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities in Iran, Trump was going to send in the Marines to occupy Iran, leading to the beginning of WWIII and nuclear missiles flying back and forth between nuclear powers!
There is evidence already that the remnants of the Maduro regime are cooperating with Rubio.
There is also good reason for them to do so, and good reason for the US to seek their cooperation.
With respect to Oil – it is self evident that Venezuella has been unable to take advantage of its own Oil reserves under Chavez and Maduro.
Absolutely US companies are dying to return to Venezuella and exponentially boosting Venezuellan oil production – which is likely possible in less than a year would massively benefit the US and Venezuella.
Further oil profits can easily replace drug profits.
The existing powers that be in Venzuella are mostly likely to be motivated by Self interest rather than socialist ideology.
Frankly one of the failures of socialism is that those who gain power in socialist countries are radically self interested – seeking personal power and using ideology as a tool to power not as something they beleive.
“Trump wants US companies to control the production and sale of Venezuelan oil. He believes that will benefit those companies, lower the oil price by increasing supply and gain some leverage for the US over China and Cuba. ”
All correct but only part of the story. Boosting oil production boosts the Venezuellan economy.
While it is just a TV show – I would suggest looking at Early Episodes of “landman” – The oil industry is more profitable in a DAY than the drug cartels are in a year. Venzuella today is an inconsequential player in Oil – because of 3 decades of failed socialism.
But it has the worlds largest oil reserves.
I would further note that Trump is interested in boosting Western Hemisphere Oil production. That is a win win for the US and for central and south america. And it further extricates the US from the mess in the mideast.
Absolutely restoring Venezuella as a mjor oil producer is in the US interests and in Venezuella’s interest.
The fact that it is not in China’s or Russia’s or Iran’s or Cuba’s interest is just bonus points.
“If the remnants of the Maduro regime don’t go along,”
An extremely unlikely scenario.
” Trump will have to decide between a real regime change war and all that entails, continuing the pressure campaign or declaring victory and moving on.”
And what is wrong with the better alternative of taking out the remnants of the Maduro regime ?
They are going to go along because it is in their interests.
To beleive that a regime change war is necescary in Venezuella Requires beleiving that a significant portion fo the Venezuellan people are ideologically committed to Socialism and willing to die for it. Venezuela is not Afghanistan, Iraq or Iran.
This is not the mideast. These are not religious fanatics.
Further even something close to an even split between committed socialists and those opposed to socialism means that the Venezuellan socialists would have a hard time fighting the US and a civil war concurrently.
absolutely the US can not fight a protracted war to nation build in Venezuella.
Absolutely if the majority of Venezuellans are not ready to leave the poverty of socialism Trump and the US is stuck with walking away or a protracted and unwinnable war.
“By contrast with the Bush era neocons and the liberal interventionists, Trump sees little value in regime change for the promotion of democracy for its own sake. He’d be perfectly happy to work with the remnants of the Madura government so long as they do what he wants.”
I suspect that is only partly true.
Without a doubt Trump is likely to offer oppertunity to those currently in power.
The military leeadership in Venezuella is an important power. But they are not especially political.
The military will likely be happy with any future govenrment – that leaves them alone.
Those on the criminal side of Maduro are after profits – Oil – Drugs – does not matter.
The political allies of Madoru right now likely want to avoid being drug into US jails, or taken out, or prosecuted by any new regime.
My bet is that the Current VP/President and the remaining Maduro regime will likely be given 6 months to hold electons in return for assurance that whatever the results are – they will not face consequences for the past, and will have oportunities in the future.
Regardless we are all reading crystal balls.
What will happen is not likely what anyone predicts.
But some predictions are already highly unlikely.
It is too early to get too deep into criticism.
But you are correct – what comes next is important.
I would not have sent Special forces in for Madoru – we were better off with him seeking assylum in some oil sultanate.
I do nto care if Trump leaves the current govenrment in place FOR THE MOMENT.
The US and the world views the last elections as fraud.
We should demand new elections in 6 months.
There are a few other key demands – Venezuella accepting deportees and citizens seeking to return
Disentangling government from Drug smugglers and criminals.
But the rest of what happens should be up to Venezuellan people.
There will be no orderly transition. Trump will focus on allowing U.S. companies to plunder Venezuela’s oil while giving lip service to the citizens. This is nothing more than a means to ensure greater profits for U.S oil companies who are sure to “help” build their infrastructure and control its production and sale of oil. OUR oil fields have reached maturity and some are in declining trends. Meaning they are becoming more expensive to drill and maintain. All you need to do is look at the declining production numbers and closing of wells. OPEC knows this and that is why they know they have more leverage. Taking over the Venezuelan oil and controlling the distribution ensures WE have a stable oil supply in the future. We can’t rely on the Canadians because we managed to pi$$ them off and our oil supply has reached maturity meaning it we cannot produce more than what we have been producing during the Biden years.
“There will be no orderly transition”
And when has your crystal ball proven correct ?
Why will there be no orderly transition ?
Is the remnants of the Maduro regime violent Jihadi’s ?
What reason tdo they have to continue to fight ?
One of the truly important features of the Maduro regime is that they are not committed socialists – they are power hungry and greedy.
And right now they are also scared of prison – in the US or in Venezuella.
Trump has massive negotiating power with people who we have no reason to beleive are fanatics.
“Trump will focus on allowing U.S. companies to plunder Venezuela’s oil”
When have you been right about Trump’s intentions ?
Absolutely US oil companies are going to profit. So is Venezuella – as a typical left wing nut you think everything is Zero sum.
Regardless with near certainty Trump has MULTIPLE objectives and intentions regarding Venezuella.
This was a message to other countries with significant Drug economies in the western Hemisphere that “You could be next”.
He wants Venzuella to rapidly boost oil production as that is benefitical to him and the US in many ways.
It disempowers the mideast – Iran specifically, but also Russia. It lowers prices int he US.
It also helps the EU in negotiating with Russia and the mideast.
a Very large portion of the mass illegal immigration under Biden came from Venezuella.
Trump wants the criminals returned to Venezuellan jails.
And he wants the rest to CHOOSE to return to Venezuella.
That requires Venezuella to economically recover from the disaster of 30 years of fail socialism.
These are just a FEW of a very long list of Trumps goals and objectives regarding Venezuella.
Much of what you claim Trump wants is True – but it is neither Zero Sum as you argue, nor more than ONE element in a long list of Trump goals.
The destruction of the Madoru regime and the very high likely hood of massive increases in Venezuellan oil production
Are a very serious threat to Russia. They are a reason that Russia should seek peace NOW. Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s oil production espectially in the past 6 months and they are doing so effectively. Further Russia is having a great deal of trouble evading sanctions and Venezuela was a major factor in evading those sanctions.
Russia is in serious danger of being irrecoverably paused out of global oil markets. Reduced demand for Russian oil has exceeded Russias storage capacity and it has been shutting down production. But that is not a choice with the Siberean Oil – Those wells MUST produce or the pipelines freeze solid down into the well heads and without US assistance Russia will take a decade to recover
Russia hastried to use Oil as a weapon it is 1/3 of the Russian economy and Trump is using Oil as a weapon against Russia.
While the multilayered goals Trump has with Venezuella are not rocket science – they are far beyond the intellectual capacity of someone who was stupid enough to beleive that Putin would want Trump rather than Clinton to win in 2016.
One of the things Trump understands extremely well is that people are motivated by Self interests.
You are so stupid that you do not grasp that it is far more in ones self interest to sell oil than Drugs.
” while giving lip service to the citizens.”
If the venezuellan illegal immigrants int he US do not beleive that Venezuella isgoing to prosper they are NOT going to voluntarily return.
2.2M illegal immigrants left the US in 2025 – 60% of those self deported.
All the fights over illegal immigrantion in the US right now are focused on the deportation process.
While Trump is using the threat of deportation to get illegals to leave on their own.
A more powerful motivation is the hope of a future back in their home country of Venezuela.
It appears to be hard for you to grasp – but Trump is 200% cognizant of the win win of free market economics.
Absolutely US oil companies will profit.
As will US consumers,
And the russians, iranians and chinese will be diminished,
and the venezualans will benefit.
While that will happen because it is the natural consequence of free markets.
It will also happen because Trump wants it to happen.
Trump only cares a small amount if US oil companies make money.
He cares a great deal if the US consumer benefits,
And if Venezuellans in the US choose to return home without being deported.
BTW US oil companies do not need to Build Venezuellas infrsstructure – they did that 3 decades ago.
What they need to do – which can be done fairly quickly is repair the damages of 30 years of socialism
And the largest damages is the loss of the incentive to be productive.
“OUR oil fields have reached maturity and some are in declining trends.”
False, and irrelevant.
Trump sought to boost US oil production – as that has MANY positive impacts – it boosts GDP.
it dis-empowers Oil producing nations – like Russia and Iran. It increases US global power,
It reduces US prices and icreases US production of everything, it raises US standard of living.
Boosting oil production in a NON-rouge nation has MOST of the same benefits as well as making that country more attractive fro its illegal immigrants to return to.
Trump wants ZERO oil from a socialist Venezuela trying to screw the US.
He wants maximum production for a free market ally.
“Meaning they are becoming more expensive to drill and maintain.”
True – to a very SMALL extent. The problem with Venezuellan oil production is socialism.
Contra Mamdani – it is Socialism that is actually frigid – without the incentive of self interst it is only FORCE that drives production and that is a poor and inefficient way to produce.
The costs to drill and maintain wells is astronomical – but the value of the oil produced is infinitedly larger.
That means that the only reasons for poor maintanence is stupidity.
” All you need to do is look at the declining production numbers and closing of wells.”
US Oil production Jan 2021 – 10Mbbls, 2026 14Mbbls. Up not down.
Further Fracking is constantly improving – every years we are able to get ever more oil out of older wells where production had dropped.
I would strongly recomend reading
The Ultimate Resource II: People, Materials, and Environment
https://www.juliansimon.com/writings/Ultimate_Resource/
It is online for free.
Spoiler alert there is only ONE resource that has limits that matter – the Human mind.
There is absolutely no other resource of any kind that is not effectively limitless.
When we say a resource is scare – that merely means that RIGHT NOW it is more expensive than it is worth to acquire it.
From the time I was a child we KNEW there was massive amount of oil in the Dakotas – more than the entire rest of US oil reserves.
But we had no means to get it out cost effectively.
But the way the laws of supply and demand work is that when high demand and short supply drive prices high enough – ALWAYS some new means of acquiring the resource becomes viable. Then Supply increases and the price declines.
Rinse repeat.
” OPEC knows this and that is why they know they have more leverage.”
ROFL – OPEC actually knows much better than you.
When Fracking was new and expensive OPEC tried to drive the price of oil down to put US frackers out of business.
Fracking was supposed ot be unprofitable at $60/bbl. OPEC eventually drove the price of oil down to 1`3/bbl and STILL mny frackers remained in the game – the more OPEC drove the prices down the more Frackers learned how to extract more oil cheaper.
OPEC did succeed in shutting down large numbers of Frackers. But they came back online the moment prices rose enough.
Absolutely reducing oil prices enough WILL shut down some US wells – for as long as the price stays low – or until fracking gets cheaper – which it is doing constantly.
The “cost” of Saudi oil is about $6/bbl but there is an additional cost to ship it. US fracker oil is more expensive and SOME of it is more expensive to ship – which is the reason for pipelines like the keystone XL, it is also the reason that refineries are being built near US oil fields – so that we do not have to ship oil to the gulf to be refined and then back into the continent to be used.
“Taking over the Venezuelan oil and controlling the distribution ensures ”
Trump does not want to control distribution. He wants the free market to do that,
Further he wants privces to go DOWN for many many reasons.
Even if that screws US frackers.
“WE have a stable oil supply in the future.”
The US has proven reserves of 44Bbbls
That does not count massive oil sands in Utah – similar to what is in canada that are completely untapped.
That also does not include the Oil Shale from the Dakotas mentioned above that are estimated at 2.2Tbbls
that we are only barely starting to produce. That BTW is 10 times the oil reserves of the Saudis.
And just waiting for the US to figure out how to economically recover it.
“We can’t rely on the Canadians because we managed to pi$$ them off”
Actually Quebec has managed to pi$$ of oil producing alberta which is nw threatening to leave Canada.
Canada’s reserves are 161Bbbls – larger than the US – not countine US oil sands and US shale oil
BTW the TOTAL Global proven oil reserves are 1.7Tbbl – that is LESS than US Oil Shale in the dakotas.
I would further note tht Russian reserves are just slightly higher than the US and Russian production is just slightly lower than the US.
The reason Venezualla matters is that it has the worlds largest proven reserves – 330Bbbls, bhut is currently producing 1/10th of what the US is. Venezuela could easily and rapidlu become the worlds largest oil producer, and trasnportation from Venezueala to the US is 1/3 the cost of from SA.
“our oil supply has reached maturity meaning it we cannot produce more than what we have been producing during the Biden”
false – oil production in 2025 is 10% higher than in 2024.
AGAIN please not the laws of supply and demand – as well as the work of Julian Simon linked above.
There is no limit AT ALL to any natural resource. Sarcity is SOLELY a function of the price to aquire that resource with the CURRENT technology.
As I noted about – US reserves in Shale oil in the Dakotas is larger than all global proven reserves.
That Shale oil has been known to be there since the 60’s
It is only a question of figureing out how to get it economically.
WE did not know how to Frack oil economically 30 years ago.
Currently the US is producing more than 3 times the amount of oil it did in 2008. And twice what it did at the prior peak in 1970’s
And contra your claims US production is growing.
X the nonsense of “Peak oil” or oil as a limited resource has been debunked many times over.
The limit on US oil production is the price of Foreign oil.
Currently the US exports more oil than it imports.
And we do not import that much.
The HUGE issue with oil is NOT the US ability to produce, but the global price of oil.
The larger the global supply the lower the price.
The lower the price the lower the cost of nearly everything – both in the US and in the world.
“Trump will focus on allowing U.S. companies to” recover property that was *stolen* from them by a series of Venezuelan tyrants.
Fixed it for you.
It is difficult to predict what will happen next.
Past US efforts at Regime change have a near 100% record of Failure.
At the same time left wing nut preductions of massive failure from Trumps actions have a 100% failure rate.
There are MANY distinguishing factors here.
Venezuella is NOT Iran or Syria or Libya. It is a country that in the 20th century had a robust economy and a standard of living higher than Poland.
It was the Wealthiest country in South America.
Myriads of pundits based on experiences in Iraq and Afghanistant and the mideast have claimed that the US will have to propup Venezeulla for decades. But that presumes a nation with no history of democracy and decent govenrment and a people with no experience with a robust economy.
While it is certain that Venezuella is going to want and benefit from US assistance in Recovering from the latest failed experiment in socialism.
At the same time Venezuella is NOT Syria or Libya or Afghanistan.
There is good reason to beleive that Venezuella can return to prosperity quickly.
We will have to see.
The latest rambling speech by Trump:
“New Hampshire. We can’t forget about twisted. Here’s another Bush. The last thing we need is another. You talk about it. And then I come back to LaGuardia where their United States and Israel is a Jewish state and it will be easier to deal with Iran. Oh, look, the Art of the Deal. Give me that book. There’s too much — it’s so nice to say I’m too much of a fighter. My preference is always again to bring people to vote for this guy? You just can’t have those plans anymore. So it’s a great state. We have great equipment. The list of humiliations goes on and on. President Obama landed in Cuba on Air Force…is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby. In fact, it could be happening. But all of the right predictions about Iraq. You know why I like her? Because Ivanka Trump likes her. My daughter likes – anybody’s expectations. There’s been amazing. Evening already we’ve won five major and overriding theme of my administration. And I’ll say, “That is a group of people that aren’t they give like about 102 pages or 98 pages of stuff and they have all these boxes “over $50 million”, “over $50 million”? I said, “I don’t know who the big document which isn’t corroded, or bent or the heat, if it gets too hot, it just crushes. Now they don’t know I’m going to go and with Japan, the Ambassador is a very nice person.” That’s terrible. Does anyone do anything they wanted to do a great job? Great. Jared (ph), Laura and Eric, I’m saying one of because I’m totally against the trade bill for a summit with our strategies for tackling our companies, for our companies that are happening. We’re sitting on powder kegs. There’s no tax. There’s no anything left. We’re rebuilding America for our currency and we’re having a lot of heat – that, I can tell you, e-mails. IRS, the e-mails, thousands and thousands of people we’re letting into our country’s infrastructure. Save Medicare, Medicaid, without cutting it down to the public squares after the attacks on New York City and peace to Israel and frankly for anyone supporting Israel. Many people turned down this honor. I did not. I took the risk and I’ve shown that. Larry Kudlow and so many people in charge of trade and when China wants to come here. We get nothing. And when you have a presidential election coming up. And we have no competence. Somebody said, “Oh, that’s true. But actually I was very good in – you know that. Right?”
gee, looks like intentional “rambling” [scrambling] created by your Walmart computer. You fool no one. Try again .
Please link a video.
Otherwise go away.
No one trust left wing nuts.
Only MAGAtard logic trusted here.
ANON=RETARD!
https://substack.com/redirect/3f7a9840-c3ad-41c1-b3a2-9493ebaa6a81?j=eyJ1IjoiMTByZzFhIn0.9MRA4Dr7PTo7Ggvu5ilkk7uXNPN8SWv54BmPsYhZD98
Only people who have a history of accurate information have earned trust.
Anonymous posters are NEVER a trusted source.
The latest rambling speech by Trump:
Well hello Gigi… starting 2026 with another endless paragraph of run-on sentences full of copy and pasted Democrat-Mainstream Media Propaganda Complex campaign lies!
BBBBUUUTTTT…. MUH TRUMPPP!!!! WE DEMAND BRIBERY BIDEN AGAIN IN 2028!!!! THE 2024 ELECTION WAS STOLEN BY TRUMP!!!!!
The scary thing is how the Dems who chose to speak today have shrunk from beating back the Latin America cartels.
Their framework is one of escapism, where US conservatives are the main foe, and organized crime cartels impacting our country are at most a low-level threat. When the liberals led Philippine govt., they played it the exact same way, and let the cartel terrorists take over complete islands, and terrorize businesses at will on the main island Luzon. Parts of Mexico are similarly situated today, and reach into our cities with their client gangs.
Dems are signaling they cannot be trusted to fight orgnanized crime diligently. They always have an excuse, pangs of sympathy for the criminals, or fear of alienating the cop haters in their “coalition”.
“We are going, and remember this; we are leading in every poll with the Hispanics. I’m leading in every poll. Remember that, please.” — Donald Trump
While incorrect – Trump has gotten the largest share of the Hispanic vote in decades.
And while his hispanic support suffered post election – it has recently recovered.
And he squandered it away with the immigration raids. Trump’s poll numbers among Hispanics has plunged.
Yet you provide zero evidence it has “recovered”. Not it hasn’t. He’s been losing the Hispanic vote and continues to do so.
X aparently you can not read. Recent polls have Trump’s support among hispanics at the same levels they were in Nov 2024.
Rassmussen the only people who still poll daily and one of only two polling places that got 2024 correct,
have Trumps’ hispanic support at the same level as in Nov 2024.
Further One of the MSM sources recently reported the same
But I do not memorize every poll.
Regardless, you are again lying.
It is also false that immigration raids are negatively impacting hispanic support.
Illegal immigrants compete for jobs with hispanic citizens.
Regardless – iot is typical for left wing nuts such as yourself to cherry pick polls.
Trump’s overall support is down – but support for republicans overall is half of that of Trump.
and support for democrats is half that of republicans.
There have been a number of Democrat victories in districts Trump won.
UNIVERSALLY these have been MODERATE Democrats.
Spanbrger won in VA after saying that
“We will get f-ing torn apart,” Abigail Spanberger warned fellow Democrats on a conference call five years ago. “And we need to not ever use the words socialist or socialism ever again.”
The Mamdani/AOC/Snaders types are winning in deep blue districts and they are getting all the news,
But they are deeply unpopular everywhere else.
Trump practically begged NYC to elect Mamdani.
Nothing will help Republicans more than the inevitble harm Mamdani will cause to NYC.
Among all the extraordinarily long- and equally devoid of interest -comments on this post, the one thing that stands out is that nobody gives a rat’s assets about the Venezuelan people.
Most of you commenters have never been out of the country. I doubt any at all have lived overseas, certainly not in a communist country. You sit in your ivory towers and order uber eats and compose long streams of snark and at no point do you give so much as a passing thought to the people themselves.
It’s interesting that the conservative blackpillers and the self-satisfied leftist Trump haters can finally unite in deploring something that probably saved a lot of lives and changed the course of history.
Excerpt from Trump’s latest speech:
“There are hundreds of thousands of them, they were lost; they can’t be lost. So why aren’t our politicians who created our problem is you need really talented people, if you don’t have enough to do it themselves. They had a plan that. Larry Kudlow and so much less expensive, both for the people, Jewish state. It will be the foundation of every background is entitled to the Chinese, a lot of beautiful work. We’re taking charge that night, Hillary Clinton turned the State Department in return.”
gee, looks like intentional “rambling” [scrambling] created by your Walmart computer. You fool no one. Try again .
A person with a brain would have created something better.
“Throughout history, every time the US topples a foreign country’s dictator/government, the outcome has been disastrous. Military intervention in Venezuela will wreak death & destruction to Venezuelan people, and increase tensions that threaten our national security”.
—– Tulsi Gabbard
https://x.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1127926215438770177
“The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don’t want other countries to choose our leaders—so we have to stop trying to choose theirs”.
—– Tulsi Gabbard
https://x.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1088531713649713153
These quotes prove two things: 1) Tulsi Gabbard should have been the Republican nominee for President in 2024; and 2) she is not going to last much longer as a part of this reckless administration.
This Admin has shown a willingness to take risks overseas. But, the payoff can be enormous if the Latin American cartels are rolled back, and China loses influence in our hemisphere. Decapitating the Cartel de las Soles makes sense, since Maduro saw to it that there was no leadership successor. Smart hit today.
edwardmahl says These quotes prove two things: 1) Tulsi Gabbard should have been the Republican nominee for President in 2024; and 2) she is not going to last much longer as a part of this reckless administration.
They do prove you prefer Democrat lite after Gabbard lost her attempt to run as the Democrat nominee, rather than choosing some other Republicans/conservative other than Trump if you find Trump so odious and terrifying as the Commander In Chief.
And while Gabbard has admitted the error of many of her predictions and reversed herself on so many issues and policies after being chose to serve in the Trump administration, the error of her predictions just a few months ago haven’t changed your faith in her.
Her claims that putting an end to Iran being on the verge of becoming a nuclear threat would lead to more wars and the threat of nuclear exchanges… that error among her predictions about Trump going into Iran didn’t shake her faith in you back then. Just as it doesn’t shake your faith in her predictions now.
I admire your faith in Gabbard’s predictions despite the fact she has made so many errors in her predictions.
But blind faith is a good name for a band – not so much serving as a core for Edward Mahl’s political dreams and hopes.
Yes, we must go back to letting the Germans choose their own leaders.
I completely agree – and we are NOT chosing Venzeulan leaders.
But we are fixing a rigged election in Venezuela.
Maduro is not the recognized leader of Vensezuella – not by Trump and not by Biden and not by much of the world.
Trump is assuring that the Venezuellan people get to choose.
President Epstein only knows how to distract.
@’Everyone’
Trollity, trollity, troll. You all are pathetic. And that will be the emblem of your doomed to be lost generation. The best absolute epitaph will be, ‘You guys were pathetic, nothing improved under their stewardship, for anyone.’. Deal with it. Deal with something, anything. Be a grownup, now that most of you are in your late 30s or early 40s. Have an original thought. Grow up. Your fantasy is dead, time to live in the real world with other humans you might not like – they have the same right to exist as you.
Clinton hasn’t offered anything yet.