this started in 1998 when Hugo Chavez won the Presidency of Venezuela and made himself dictator for life afterward. Why did Chavez win the election? The real answer? Venezuela's elites did not give a shit about its underclass. As a result, they elected an authoritarian they did not fully understand. Maduro, who was kidnapped last night, is Chavez's successor. He is a seriously bad dude who invalidated the last election. What comes next? Trump probably thinks he can install a puppet government. South American history is littered with dead puppet governments. Venezuela is likely to end up with an unstable puppet government for a short while. Then there will be an uprising, a new leader and "unintended consequences" afterward. Similar to Afghanistan where we last tried this. Answer from AbeFromanEast on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/changemyview › [ removed by moderator ]
Trump is about to make himself the dictator of Venezuela
2 weeks ago - Trump wont hand over Venezuela easy though since "US Will Stay Involved in Venezuela Until “Safe” Political Transition" meaning who knows how long it will take for the country to be "Safe" to have a new government.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/outoftheloop › what’s going on with trump and venezuela?
r/OutOfTheLoop on Reddit: What’s going on with Trump and Venezuela?
2 weeks ago -
I know it might be too early to know “why” he completed military actions in the country, but I’m just curious as to where/how this all started?
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/s/BiyKcAYStI
Top answer 1 of 8
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Answer: this started in 1998 when Hugo Chavez won the Presidency of Venezuela and made himself dictator for life afterward. Why did Chavez win the election? The real answer? Venezuela's elites did not give a shit about its underclass. As a result, they elected an authoritarian they did not fully understand. Maduro, who was kidnapped last night, is Chavez's successor. He is a seriously bad dude who invalidated the last election. What comes next? Trump probably thinks he can install a puppet government. South American history is littered with dead puppet governments. Venezuela is likely to end up with an unstable puppet government for a short while. Then there will be an uprising, a new leader and "unintended consequences" afterward. Similar to Afghanistan where we last tried this.
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Answer: This has been a long time coming and many economic and political analysts did not expect Maduro to last through 2026. It is surprising how quick Maduro was disposed but Maduro is considered an illegitimate ruler by both parties in the US (both the 2018 and 2024 elections). He has presided over economic and political crises and has jailed or silenced opposition leaders. There are now two paths: 1) Positive side - the opposition government has been popular and there will be a quick transition to a caretaker government, which is committed to fair and open elections. This could also lead to lower global oil prices as Venezuelan oil has been heavily sanctioned and the US is more than capable of processing the oil. The regime change could also lessen humanitarian pressure on nearby countries. 2) Negative side: another Latin American power vacuum which the US is more than familiar with. Could lead to a civil war but given the opposition party’s popularity and US’ reputation starting this so close to home, hopefully not. This also likely worsens diplomatic ties with China and Russia. China is dependent on Venezuelan oil.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/geopolitics › trump vs venezuela
r/geopolitics on Reddit: Trump vs Venezuela
December 11, 2025 -
Can anyone explain to me what Trump is trying to do in Venezuela? He’s been getting the US military to murder people on alleged “drug boats” - no evidence given, and today seized a Venezuelan oil tanker. What is he trying to achieve or what is the end goal? To me this behaviour seems no better than what Putin does, or terrorist groups such as the Houthis.
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No one can explain what Trump is doing in Venezeula. Not even Trump. It's completely incoherent.
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Honestly, it seems pretty obvious to me. Venezuela has a tremendous amount of resources, especially oil. If he affects regime change there, to someone he is friendly with, then he and all of his friends get even more rich. Everything is just an all-to-obvious pretense.
Undark Magazine
undark.org › home › news & features › what would a trump takeover mean for greenland’s resources?
What Would a Trump Takeover Mean for Greenland's Resources?
4 days ago - Trump has put Venezuela’s oil wealth at the center of his administration’s intervention in that country. Now, the prospect of U.S.
MS NOW
ms.now › home › ‘this is a war’: some republicans aren’t so comfortable with trump’s venezuela escapades
‘This is a war’: Some Republicans aren’t so comfortable with Trump’s Venezuela escapades
But if you tell those people that Maduro is no longer gonna be in charge of your oil, but America is, I think that sends the wrong message and there’s a potential that the goodwill in America, or in Venezuela, towards America will evaporate.” · Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a frequent critic of the Trump administration who also has libertarian tendencies, blasted the administration for pursuing regime change in Caracas, failing to notify Congress ahead of time and for focusing on Venezuelan oil when the mission was purportedly an anti-narco terrorism operation.
Published 1 week ago
Reddit
reddit.com › r/centrist › why are venezuelan singled out by trump
r/centrist on Reddit: Why are Venezuelan singled out by Trump
May 4, 2025 -
Venezuela is ruled by one of the most vindictive dictators so millions have fled the country with many coming here. 70% of the population lives in poverty because of the corrupt government. Now Trump is pulling the TPS protection and many have waited years to have refurbished asylum hearings. Is there another more sinister motive why they’re persecuted when less than 1% have been identified as having ties with gangs?
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The reason is during Trump 1 he cut off diplomatic relations with Venezuela, meaning that, like Cuba, we couldn't actually deport them anymore. And so during Biden many Venezuelans came here as we couldn't deport them. Venezuelans also had th temporary protective status, so they were known people to the government. They weren't here illegally, they were here legally, and the government knew where to find them. Since Trump got an agreement with El Salvador to make a gulag and accept non-citizens of his country into said gulag, and then Trump illegally ended due process, and since he knew where these Venezuelans were, he took them and shoved them in the gulag because it was easy to do.
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Also, Venezuelans are one of the Hispanic ethnicities most likely to favor Republicans over Democrats, likely because they have witnessed what unchecked leftism can do to a country. You would think they would be favored by the Republicans, like the Cubans.
Snopes
snopes.com › homepage › fact check
Did Trump post this doctored screenshot calling him the 'acting president of Venezuela'? | Snopes.com
4 days ago - A little over a week later, people on social media claimed Trump posted on his social media website Truth Social a fake Wikipedia screenshot that referred to him as the acting president of Venezuela.
AP News
apnews.com › article › poll-trump-venezuela-foreign-policy-approval-ce8d92a1461abb354f8c799e6b487e49
What Americans think about Trump's military intervention abroad, according to a new AP-NORC poll
3 days ago - It found that 56% of U.S. adults think Trump has overstepped on military interventions abroad, while majorities disapprove of how the Republican president is handling foreign policy in general and Venezuela in particular.
CNN
cnn.com › 2026 › 01 › 04 › politics › us-running-venezuela-trump-administration
A clearer picture is emerging of what Trump meant when he said the US will ‘run’ Venezuela | CNN Politics
2 weeks ago - Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright have been tasked with convincing American energy companies to return to Venezuela and its aging oil infrastructure. The clearer picture that began emerging Sunday of what Trump meant when he claimed during an extraordinary news conference the United States would “run” Venezuela was essentially one in which the US relies on the massive armada floating offshore to ensure whoever is in charge does what the Trump administration wants.
Daily Mail
dailymail.co.uk › news › article-15430773 › Explosions-Venezuela-speculation-US-airstrikes.html
Venezuela President Maduro to 'stand trial' in the US as Trump 'captures' leader and his wife after explosions rocked capital Caracas | Daily Mail Online
2 weeks ago - Trump announced that he would hold a press conference at Mar-a-Lago later in the morning to release more details. Venezuela's government slammed the United States for attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states.
NYTimes
nytimes.com › world › americas
How Trump Fixed On a Maduro Loyalist as Venezuela’s New Leader - The New York Times
2 weeks ago - Trump had never warmed up to the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had organized a winning presidential campaign in 2024, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
WIRED
wired.com › science › donald trump › trump wants venezuela’s oil. getting it might not be so simple
Trump Wants Venezuela’s Oil. Getting It Might Not Be So Simple | WIRED
2 weeks ago - Over the past few months, the administration has significantly ramped up sanctions and blockades on Venezuela, creating a massive glut of oil that hasn’t been able to find its way out of the country. If Trump decides to totally lift sanctions on Venezuela, that surplus could enter the wider market.
The Atlantic
theatlantic.com › international › 2026 › 01 › trump-venezuela-failure-machado-democracy › 685563
Trump Is Not Playing Five-Dimensional Chess in Venezuela - The Atlantic
1 week ago - The United States president immediately threw cold water on the idea that the raid could pave the way for a rapid democratic transition under the leadership of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado. At his first press conference, a few hours after Maduro’s surgical removal, Trump said that he ordered it to get control of Venezuela’s oil, and that Machado didn’t have the “respect” to lead Venezuela.
MS NOW
ms.now › home › trump’s suggestion that he is the ‘president of venezuela’ is worse than a tasteless joke
Trump's suggestion that he is the 'president of Venezuela' is worse than a tasteless joke
Click to share on Reddit (Opens ... in new window)LinkedIn · Opinion · A doctored image of a Wikipedia entry unintentionally showed his administration has no plan for Venezuela....
Published 3 days ago
Daily Mail
dailymail.co.uk › news › article-15431051 › maduro-captured-donald-trump-brilliant-operation-venezuela.html
Delta Force ripped Maduro and wife from their beds as they slept - two days after Venezuelan president begged Trump for peace | Daily Mail Online
2 weeks ago - The horrifying death of Iranian ... remember me' ... Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia were captured by a unit of elite Delta Force soldiers while they slept in their beds....
CNN
cnn.com › world › live-news › venezuela-trump-maduro-01-04-26
January 4, 2026 — Maduro awaits court appearance | CNN
Delcy Rodríguez took office as Venezuela’s acting president shortly after she called for “cooperation” with the US — a shift in her previously defiant response to the US attack.
Published 2 weeks ago
AP News
apnews.com › live › trump-us-venezuela-updates-01-03-2026
Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro arrives in New York after capture by US forces
2 weeks ago - Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured by the United States. President Donald Trump insisted the U.S. government would run the country at least temporarily.
The Guardian
theguardian.com › world › 2026 › jan › 05 › venezuela-trump-attack-china-interests-analysis
Trump’s attack leaves China worried about its interests in Venezuela | Venezuela | The Guardian
2 weeks ago - On Friday evening, shortly before ... strong bonds of brotherhood and friendship between China and Venezuela. Through thick and thin!” · Those bonds will be put to the test now that the US president, Donald Trump, has upended the government of one of China’s key “all-weather” ...