What is going on in Venezuela?

[ooherrmissus14]

This seems to have come from nowhere- have I missed something or is Trump just looking for a way to distract from the Epstein issue?

What we know about Maduro's capture https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmlz7r0zrxo

So who is the legitimate president? Surely the person who won the vote at the recent election which international observers put as Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in 2024 but Trump hasn’t supported him as president or shown support to the Nobel peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado who was banned from running despite being the favourite. Trump has said she doesn’t have the respect or support of the Venezuelan people. It’s so obvious they want a puppet regime.
And I’d be surprised if Starmer would ever criticise Trump. His tactic is to suck up to him in the hope that helps the UK.

Trump said the VP would be interim leader and she was duly sworn in. No idea how Madura can be an illegitimate leader and the VP not but Trumps actions never make much sense.

From your link

When pressed by reporters as to who inside Venezuela would form part of that group, Trump said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been talking to Delcy Rodríguez, the country's vice-president.

Trump said Rodríguez - who has since been named interim president by Venezuela's Supreme Court - had expressed her willingness to do "whatever the US asks".

Until she didn't and swore allegiance to Maduro after being sworn in

It’s not for me to judge who is a legitimate president.

But that one wasn’t legitimate and was no good for the people of Venezuela.

Is it for Trump to decide? As he seems uninterested in the man the people voted for in 2024. I’m meaning Edmundo Gonzalez. If people cared for democracy he’d be leader or there’d be another election where Maria Machado could stand. We’ll see. But from what’s Trump said about it so far I’m doubtful.

It doesn’t really matter who is officially the Venezuelan interim leader because the US is running policy there for now.

It's not up to Trump to remove a dictator of another country, like he really cares about the people or the drugs. This is all about oil, he will replace Maduro with a US-approved leader now. That is all it's about.

It’s not really all about oil. Those Venezuelan oil deposits may not be all that productive.

It absolutely does matter to the people of Venezuela to ensure whoever is running things is working in the best interests of the Venezuelan people and not what's in the best interest of the US. No idea where Trump gets the notion that he can just start running policy there now.

The US are running things now whether you or I like it or not that is the reality.

Yes I'm aware 🙄

You aren't gaining more in depth knowledge. You are just 'gaining' opinions from random strangers without qualifications and bots.

Stick to the BBC for news.

Venezuela's Supreme Court officially designated Rodríguez as interim president over the weekend, but today she will appear before the National Assembly where she will be officially sworn in.

In comments to the Atlantic on Sunday, the US president said: "If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro."

He added that for Venezuela: "Regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can't get any worse".

Trump has vowed the US will run the country until "a safe and proper and judicious transition" is possible. He also promised US oil companies will move into the country to fix infrastructure "and start making money for the country".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwy1x9vwn3dt

I dont see many comments that demonstrate an understanding of the gravity of what Chavez and Maduro and their henchmen have done to that country and its people. I’m not sure people get it.

But also it not just about Oil. Venezuela is an operational hub for Hezbollah, Iran,
china - for the US, it was posing a threat of the greatest order.

Wow
Deep

I’m not sure people get it.

This.

I have family in Colombia, which has around 3 million Venezuelan refugees, so I have a bit more insight into the situation beyond news reports.

I am actually wincing at the comments about Trump and oil.

@Vivi0 why then did Trump specifically mention oil more than a few times.

Because he wants to get the oil system back up and running there for the benefit of the US.
no one is saying it isn’t at all to do with Oil.

Uhuh. Because that’s the actual story? If you think this will work out well for Venezuelans, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.

Exactly. And, given how many times he has promised to “fix” things but has never actually fixed anything, anyone who thinks any of this is for Venezuela, hasn’t been paying attention.

Yes it's laughable to think this is about drugs, this is about heavy crude oil which Venezuela has in spades....

Fentanyl doesn’t come from Venezuela. Venezuela mostly produces cocaine most of which goes to Europe.

Trump is busy stealing other people's resources.

Why does this bother you so much? I do get it from a range of resources, including this one…..

For all those saying that Trump has removed a Dictator and is doing this to stop the flow of drugs, what will your excuses be when he takes Greenland?