The justifications for President Donald Trump’s military policies toward Venezuela have ranged from stopping narco-terrorism, to reducing oil revenues going to the Nicolas Maduro regime by interdicting the country’s oil tankers, to removing Maduro from power. Maduro is a socialist and criminal who has wrecked the Venezuelan economy and caused a massive outflow of the country’s population. Following a unilateral military extraction on the morning of January 3, 2026, Maduro has been removed from office and is now in U.S. custody.

The White House’s actions only raise uncertainty about what happens next. Although the strike involved a military incursion into Venezuela, Congress does not appear to have been briefed as required by law. When asked about what comes next for Venezuela, Trump left the door open for a sustained U.S. presence in the country, stating “we’re going to run it” and “we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take........

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