The Day After Maduro
NEW ANALYSIS: Trump Deceived Military, Senate—Profits From Installing Rodriguez as New Dictator
One day after U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a Department of Justice narco-terrorism indictment, a framework of a deal is emerging that sold out the Venezuelan people and their democratic aspirations, for an oil deal Trump will personally profit from.
Publicly, Venezuela’s new President Delcy Rodriguez maintains Nicolas Maduro is “the only president” and demands his immediate release, but in reality the Trump regime likely struck a deal with their Venezuelan counterparts, to replace their figurehead while maintaining control—in exchange for an oil deal that benefits Trump.
Trump appeared to make reference to an undisclosed arrangement in a threat-laden interview with the Atlantic in which he said, “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
The larger questions emerging from Saturday’s operation: What were U.S. military forces told they were executing? Were congressional leaders advised or misled about the mission’s actual purpose?
In the build-up to Maduro’s capture, Trump and Secretary of State Rubio had indicated they were backing democratically elected opposition figure Maria Corina Machado to replace Maduro.
Trump then stunned the world by anointing Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on live TV. The heel-turn was made apparent when Trump dismissed Machado—the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the democratic opposition leader Venezuelans chose in the 2023 primary. He said she “doesn’t have the respect.”
Paid subscribers can read how the deal was done and how Trump will personally profit from it.
