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Trump Sends Navy to Venezuela’s Shores // Jimmy Dore
Jimmy Dore | Trusted Newsmaker
Trump Sends Navy Destroyers to Venezuela: Oil, Power, and Distraction
The deployment of U.S. Navy destroyers and thousands of Marines toward Venezuela under Trump’s orders has reignited debate about America’s foreign policy motives. Officially framed as a crackdown on drug trafficking, critics argue the move is about oil, regime change, and geopolitical distraction.
Oil at the Core
Venezuela sits on the world’s largest proven oil reserves, surpassing even Saudi Arabia. Unlike light Saudi crude, Venezuelan oil is heavy and requires specialized refining capacity—much of it built decades ago in the U.S. by Koch-linked facilities on the Gulf Coast. For Washington, access to this resource has always been strategic. Critics note that Trump himself previously admitted, “We would have taken it over. We would have gotten all that oil”.
The Illegitimacy Label
The Trump administration declared Nicolás Maduro’s government illegitimate, calling it a “narco-terror cartel.” Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt echoed this line, framing Venezuela as both a dictatorship and a drug trafficking hub. This narrative lays the groundwork for intervention, similar to past U.S. justifications for regime change operations in Latin America and the Middle East.
History of U.S. Coups in Venezuela
U.S. efforts to undermine Venezuela’s leadership go back decades. In 2002, Washington backed a failed coup against Hugo Chávez. Later, bipartisan U.S. support rallied behind opposition figure Juan Guaidó, who was recognized as Venezuela’s “legitimate president.” Yet on the ground, Venezuelans rejected him, with reports of Guaidó being harassed and beaten in public.
The Drug Trafficking Excuse
While the official rationale for sending destroyers was to halt narcotics flows, statistics reveal contradictions. U.S. military presence in Colombia has historically correlated with *increased* drug trafficking. This inconsistency fuels skepticism that the mission is about drugs at all. Instead, critics argue the drug narrative is a smokescreen for oil interests and regime change.
Escalation and Mobilization
Trump’s deployment includes three guided-missile destroyers and more than 4,000 Marines. In response, Maduro announced plans to mobilize 4.5 million militia members to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty. On state TV, he vowed: “No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor South America.” The showdown now risks spiraling into a wider conflict.
The Refugee Factor
One overlooked consequence of intervention is refugee displacement. A U.S.-backed war in Venezuela could trigger a massive outflow of migrants to neighboring countries and eventually the United States. Ironically, those displaced by intervention could then be scapegoated in U.S. domestic politics, as has happened in past interventions.
Political Distraction?
Some analysts see timing in the Venezuela operation as a diversion from scandals, notably Jeffrey Epstein’s resurfacing legal fallout. By shifting public attention to a foreign “crisis,” Washington can control the narrative at home. This framing suggests the Venezuela escalation is as much about domestic politics as it is about geopolitics.
The Trump administration’s move to send destroyers toward Venezuela echoes a familiar U.S. pattern: delegitimize a government, frame it as a narco-terror threat, impose sanctions, and prepare for regime change—all under the shadow of oil. While sold as counter-narcotics, the deployment aligns with Trump’s own admission: the prize is Venezuela’s oil. Whether this results in open war or a prolonged standoff, the people of Venezuela are left in the crossfire of geopolitical ambition.
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