Trump and Venezuela: When Oil Becomes the Center of a Shocking Geopolitical Gamble

Washington — President Donald Trump awoke Sunday morning facing intensifying criticism at home and abroad after his administration openly outlined plans to control Venezuela following military intervention—plans whose central objective was stated without ambiguity: oil.

Across hours of press briefings, social media posts, and remarks from senior officials, the White House made little effort to preserve the traditional language of diplomacy. President Trump repeated more than 20 times during a single press conference that the United States “wants Venezuela’s oil,” a statement that stunned both the international community and Venezuelans living in the United States.

Shock Waves Through the Venezuelan American Community

In Miami, home to the largest Venezuelan exile community in the country, optimism quickly gave way to disbelief. Many had believed Trump would support Venezuela’s democratic opposition, particularly María Corina Machado, the central figure behind the opposition-backed candidacy of Edmundo González, who is widely believed by independent observers to have won more than 70 percent of the vote in Venezuela’s disputed July 2024 election.

“We thought he misspoke,” said one Venezuelan American attending a gathering in Miami. “There’s no way a U.S. president would openly say he wants to keep Maduro’s people in power and just take the oil.”

But as the hours passed, Trump’s position became unmistakably clear.

Abandoning the Opposition, Embracing the Regime

In remarks that sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, Trump said he had not been in contact with Machado, adding that she lacked “respect and support inside the country.” The statement contradicted years of U.S. policy and angered opposition supporters, as Machado has long been viewed as the most prominent symbol of resistance to Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule.

According to reporting and analysis from The Economist and major U.S. political media platforms, Trump’s strategy does not center on democratic transition. Instead, it appears designed to preserve Venezuela’s existing power structure, while installing a leader more amenable to Washington’s economic and strategic interests.

The name most frequently cited: Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president and one of Maduro’s closest and most enduring allies.

U.S. officials speaking anonymously told reporters that Rodríguez is viewed as “economically stabilizing,” “pragmatic,” and capable of ensuring oil access for American energy companies—while keeping Venezuela’s authoritarian framework largely intact.

Democracy as a Secondary Concern

What alarms analysts is not only the personnel choice, but the governing philosophy behind it.

Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders, from Vladimir Putin to Kim Jong Un. In Venezuela’s case, he appears uninterested in democratic reform, favoring instead what some commentators describe as “convenient strongmen” who can guarantee strategic resources.

Several MSNBC and CNN analysts have raised a critical question: Could Trump execute a move of this magnitude without coordination with Russia? Venezuela has long been a close ally of Moscow, and a scenario in which the U.S. controls Venezuelan oil while maintaining a regime friendly to Russia is increasingly viewed as mutually advantageous for authoritarian powers.

Congressional Republicans: Supportive but Uncomfortable

On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers from Florida—many of whom represent Cuban and Venezuelan exile communities—found themselves in an increasingly untenable position.

Representative Mario Díaz-Balart bristled when asked whether he still supported Machado, even as he reaffirmed “100 percent” backing for Trump’s plan. The exchange highlighted a broader contradiction among MAGA-aligned politicians: defend Trump at all costs, even when doing so conflicts with longstanding commitments to their constituents.

Representative María Elvira Salazar, who previously assured immigrant communities that Trump would not target undocumented residents without criminal records, now faces renewed criticism as the administration escalates enforcement and interventionist policies across Latin America.

Rubio, Jordan, and a New Power Logic

Secretary of State Marco Rubio further unsettled observers when he suggested that Cuba could be next, calling the Cuban government a “huge problem” and alleging that Cuban operatives effectively run Maduro’s internal security apparatus.

Meanwhile, Representative Jim Jordan deflected substantive questions by expressing “complete trust” in Trump, while attempting to contrast Venezuela with China’s surveillance balloon incident during the Biden administration—a comparison many analysts labeled misleading and irrelevant.

Jordan was also confronted over Trump’s pardon of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former Honduran president convicted of large-scale drug trafficking. His defense—that the pardon power is an exclusive presidential authority—only intensified concerns about the administration’s moral and legal standards.

International Backlash and Vatican Warning

International reaction was swift and severe. European media described the United States as “on a war path,” while Germany, France, and other NATO allies questioned the legality of the operation.

Notably, Pope Leo issued a statement urging respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty, emphasizing that no nation should be subjected to occupation for economic gain—a rare moral rebuke that resonated globally.

A New Doctrine, and a Dangerous One

A widely circulated image posted by Trump’s official social media accounts showed the president holding a club labeled the “Donroe Doctrine,” standing atop a map depicting Canada and South America beneath his feet.

For many observers, the image was more than provocation. It was a visual declaration of hegemonic ambition—a foreign policy doctrine that places oil, power, and presidential authority above international law and democratic norms.

In this framework, Venezuela is no longer treated as a sovereign nation, but as the most consequential and perilous geopolitical gamble of Trump’s current presidency.