U.S. plan to 'run' Venezuela clouded in confusion

[highplainsdem]

Source: Washington Post

-snip-

The White House is weighing giving Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy White House chief of staff and homeland security adviser, a more elevated role in overseeing post-Maduro operations in Venezuela, according to one person with knowledge of the conversations, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive dealings.

-snip-

The day before, Trump had effectively dismissed the prospects of Venezuela’s democratic opposition, including Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, whose stand-in candidate, Edmundo González, won more than two-thirds of the vote in an election last year that saw Maduro refuse to leave office.

-snip-

Two people close to the White House said the president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado, despite her recent efforts to flatter Trump, stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the president has openly coveted.

Although Machado ultimately said she was dedicating the award to Trump, her acceptance of the prize was an “ultimate sin,” said one of the people.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/04/us-venezuela-plan-trump-rubio-miller/

[lapfog_1]

1. Miller will delight in deaths and misery that will befall these

brown skinned Latino people.

I'm sure he is salivating over the role already... probably walking around the West Wing with a 3 inch hard on.

Lot of fucked up trauma in that twisted "brain" of his.

[Doodles]

16. Miller: Maduro Lite

I’m sure he’ll learn fast.

[Diraven]

2. It's silly that this is even being talked about

We're not going to run Venezuela. We have zero authority there. No US troops were left there and the entire Venezuelan government other than Maduro remains in place. The most we can do is threaten them with further military action if they won't do what Trump demands.

[AverageOldGuy]

3. I probably should not say this in public . . .

. . . but -- here goes.

I am a retired Army officer, active duty 1967-1995. I have a very close friend who is a former Special Forces officer. A day after Trump's invasion of Venezuela, he said this -- not his exact words but close:

" Trump survived two assassination attempts because the guys trying to shoot him were raw amateurs, one of them couldn't even hit a target the size of a man's head at 120 yards. You can bet there are Venezuelans who hate Trump and who a much better shots. "

Just saying.

[Buddyzbuddy]

4. I would encourage the Felon to send Rat Face Miller south with his wife.

I'm sure they will welcome him with open arms. In fact I'm so sure, I think they will be so tickled that it won't be necessary to send any security with him. Give them the opportunity to show him just how much they appreciate his help.

[dedl67]

12. Yes, yes! Please send them to Venezuela on a good will .tour.

Nixon's 'good will' visit to Caracas in 1958 resulted in "most violent attack ever perpetrated on a high American official while on foreign soil" (Wikipedia). Nixon survived. But I am sure the folks in Caracas can do a better job this time.

[AZ8theist]

5. Jared Kushner negotiating peace treaties with Russia......

....and 5-head running Venezuala.

Sure, what could go wrong?????


Remember, "Only the best"!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Gauleiter:

1
a
: a district leader in Nazi Germany who served as a provincial governor
b
: a subordinate political official resembling a Nazi gauleiter in function or in autocratic manner
2
: a person with an arrogant overbearing outlook or manner

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gauleiter

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. "the president's lack of interest in boosting Machado ... stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize"

There is an emotional toddler in charge of the world's largest military, including nuclear weapons.

[Beartracks]

8. An emotional toddler -- and an entire Republican party that worships/defends/tolerates him. n/t

[Callie1979]

9. What we saw was a 50 million dollar arrest of ONE man. A show for MAGA.

Because nothing has changed in VZ
The corrupt still run it. The people are still suppressed
What's the "plan" Trump? Why didnt you take control of that base, tell the military leaders (on their personal cell phones) "Tell your people to stand down, or die", take out the leadership & install the elected leaders, protected them from that base & put them on national TV telling the people "we're free!". And then moved forward from there.

[mwb970]

10. trump told no one about this. He did not get the required permission.

So, it's all on him. When it goes bad (and boy, will it) he's the only one to blame. There's no "Biden did it" this time.

[BootinUp]

11. Trump looked around for the cruelest toady he could find. nt

[Ray Bruns]

13. Bullshit. For a plan to be in confusion there first has to be a plan.

I know, Trump will release it in “two weeks”.

[SergeStorms]

14. Are they saying that Trump's.......

READY.........FIRE........AIM! style of "leadership" isn't going well? That his entire "wag the dog" attempt to bolster his flagging popularity and mission to distract everyone's attention from the Epstein "hoax" wasn't a well-thought-out military plan?
Say it ain't so, Joe, please.... say it ain't so!
So he's going to send his very own Josef Mengele down there to "straighten things out, right?
What could possibly go wrong?

[twodogsbarking]

15. Fucking up the entire world one country at a time. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat.

I don't know.

[bluedigger]

17. Send him.

Send him right fucking now.

[surfered]

18. Chaos snd confusion is their SOP.

[Aussie105]

19. I'm just waiting for a reprisal attack.

A foreign country flying in unannounced, kidnaping Trump and putting him on trial.
The charges wouldn't need to be faked.

I live in hope.

Meanwhile, Xi and Putin are considering doing the same in regards to the leaders of Taiwan and Ukraine.

And the rest of the world now regards the US to be an unpredictable rogue nation and a no-go zone as a tourist destination or trading partner.

[DonCoquixote]

20. these people could not run an Atlantic city casino

venzuels is now a banana republic

[thought crime]

21. Rubio isn't up to the job. This is already a mess.

[ManuelV]

22. Machado was his pick

Didn’t the powers that be arrange for Machado to receive the prize for PR and groom her as trump’s puppet?

[Deep State Witch]

23. Yes, But

She didn't defer the Nobel Peace Prize to him, so now he's mad at her.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

24. Welcome to DU