Why not both? Heard about the wall lately? You make it sound like Trump doesn't revisit an issue to throw red meat at the base. Heard of Flynn & Russia lately? Heard of China lately? This coup attempt would be low effort on his part and gives him ample space for plausible deniability.
oh, look inb4 fake news from ex-national security adviser: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/politics/bolton-book-what-we-learned/index.html Trump told people that Venezuela is 'really part of the US' and wanted to invade Bolton writes that in discussions about toppling the regime of Nicolas Maduro, Trump "insisted on military options for Venezuela," telling advisers that the country "is really part of the United States." During a March 2019 meeting at the Pentagon, Trump grilled military leaders about why the US was in Afghanistan and Iraq, but not in Venezuela. Trump's repeated insistence that military options be considered to oust Maduro often shocked aides, lawmakers and advisers, Bolton writes. In a meeting with Florida Republicans, "Trump still wanted a military option," leaving Sen. Rick Scott and Gov. Ron Desantis "plainly stunned," while Sen. Marco Rubio, who had heard Trump on the subject before "knew how to deflect it politely."
What was the answer that the "military leaders" offered up to that question? I wouldn't mind seeing that.
How embarrassing.... Guaido Out https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-ext...nvitation-to-venezuela-s-guaido-/6609577.html Biden Extends Support, Not Summit Invitation, to Venezuela’s Guaido Biden made the call to Guaido on board Air Force One en route to Los Angeles. In a statement released after the call, the White House said Biden underscored U.S. “recognition of and support for the 2015 democratically elected National Assembly and Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela,” and expressed support for “Venezuelan-led negotiations as the best path toward a peaceful restoration of democratic institutions, free and fair elections.” Biden also signaled the U.S. was willing to reduce sanctions on President Nicolas Maduro’s government if the embattled Venezuelan leader reached a compromise with his opposition. Maduro is one of the Latin American leaders deemed nondemocratic and excluded by Washington from the summit. “We thought the best way to lift up our desire to see that Venezuelan-led dialogue and, ultimately, a better future for the Venezuelan people was to focus on the invitations to Venezuelan civil society activists, who will participate in various aspects of the summit,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with Biden on board Air Force One. https://www.reuters.com/world/ameri...ing-back-interim-guaido-govt-2023-2022-10-21/ Venezuela's opposition unwilling to back interim Guaido government for 2023 WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition parties have warned they are likely to withdraw backing for Juan Guaido's Washington-endorsed interim government in 2023, four people familiar with the matter said, raising questions about the future of the country's overseas holdings.
While the world has been focused on Ukraine and Gaza -- Dictator Maduro in Venezuela has preparing to start a war in South America by setting the table to seize oil rich territory in a neighboring country. An action which will surely force other South American nations to jump into the conflict. Is Venezuela about to start a war in Latin America? A dispute over Guyana's oil-rich territory could turn violent. Or it might sway a presidential election. https://theweek.com/politics/venezuela-guyana-latin-america-war-oil Is a threat by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to annex Guyana's oil fields a prelude to war in Latin America? Or is the strongman merely trying to rally his own nation ahead of a presidential election next year? No one really knows for sure, The Miami Herald reports, but American officials are "increasingly concerned over how far Nicolas Maduro may be willing to go." Maduro's claim over the Essequibo region of Guyana "would give Caracas a claim to offshore oil riches that Guyana recently found and that Venezuela clearly covets," Alexandra Sharp explained at Foreign Policy. A weekend referendum in Venezuela supposedly received the backing of 95 percent of voters in favor of annexation, though it's important to note the government this week also ordered the mass arrest of annexation opponents. Maduro's aim in all of this is to "give him a claim to big oil, bolster support for his United Socialist Party, and pigeonhole the opposition into appearing anti-patriotic." The Associated Press his country is preparing to defend itself. "We take this threat very seriously, and we have initiated a number of precautionary measures to ensure the peace and stability of this region," he said. And the U.S. is weighing in: Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Ali to offer America's "unwavering support for Guyana's sovereignty." What the commentators said "The norm that borders cannot be changed through military force now faces its first major test in this hemisphere in generations," Ben Rowswell, who previously served as Canada's ambassador to Venezuela argued in The Globe and Mail. But Maduro "has made a career of breaking norms" — incarcerating opponents, subverting elections and suspending the country's constitution. While control of Essequibo has been disputed for more than a century, there's no real question that the territory belongs to Guyana. "We cannot accept a potential invasion." With wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza, it's clear "President Biden does not want a dispute with Mr. Maduro now," The Washington Post editorialized. But Maduro's threat comes on the heels of his failure to make good on promises to hold a free presidential election and to release U.S. citizens improperly held by his government. (The U.S. dropped longstanding sanctions on Venezuela in exchange for those promises.) America "needs to respond with sanctions that squeeze Mr. Maduro and his gang, who have driven Venezuela to ruin." The presidential election is the point, El País editorialized. A potential conflict with Guyana gives Maduro "the perfect excuse to declare 'internal commotion' and postpone the elections indefinitely." Maduro called the referendum on Essequibo the day after María Corina Machado overwhelmingly won the opposition primary election to oppose him. His party "has used the territorial conflict to stir up the specter of internal conspiracy" and cast Machado as the source of strife. The threat to Guyana is also a "threat to a fair electoral process." What next? Tensions are rising in the region. Brazil — which borders both Venezuela and Guyana to the south — this week announced that it is deploying troops along its border. "If there's one thing we don't want here in South America it's war," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told a summit of South American officials this week. "We don't need conflict. We need to build peace." The American military is also getting involved. CBS News reported that the Defense Department will conduct "joint military flight drills" with Guyana in order to "strengthen regional cooperation." "The U.S. will continue its commitment as Guyana's trusted security partner and promoting regional cooperation and interoperability," the department said in a statement. And diplomats are hard at work: The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency session on the issue for Friday.