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Trump says US will temporarily run Venezuela, ‘not afraid of boots on ground’ if necessary
New York Post ^ | January 3, 2026 | Geoff Earle

Posted on 01/03/2026 2:11:09 PM PST by Angelino97

President Trump told the nation the US would now take over running Venezuela, after strongman Nicolas Maduro was captured “in the dead of night.”

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort as he provided new details on the stunning military operation...

“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” the president said. “We had boots on the ground last night, at a very high level, actually.”

Later, Trump added, “We’re going to have [a] presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil.”

In a strong assertion of US national prerogative in the hemisphere, Trump said he had one-upped the Monroe Doctrine of the nation’s early history.

“They now call it the Don-roe doctrine,” Trump quipped, while flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

He brushed off questions about the US’s record of running countries in Latin America over the last century and even whether it was consistent with his “America First” mantra.

“We’re going to run the country right, it’s going to be run very judiciously, very fairly,” Trump said.

The president indicated the military had been “prepared to do a second wave” if needed.

He said his advisors assumed such a wave would be necessary — only one was needed...

Trump also indicated Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wasn’t up to the task of governing.

“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he opined. “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect in Venezuela.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: didntwinnobel; donroedoctrine; fools; machado; maduro; makewargreatagain; mariacorinamachado; monroedoctrine; neoconsgiddy; neoconsunite; presidentofpeace; venezuela; wagthedog; warforoil; warmongers
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1 posted on 01/03/2026 2:11:09 PM PST by Angelino97
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To: Angelino97

We will get to see a real election in Venezuela. And then apply it here.


2 posted on 01/03/2026 2:13:20 PM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: Angelino97
Later, Trump added, “We’re going to have [a] presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil.”

,,, no mention of their silver?

3 posted on 01/03/2026 2:16:34 PM PST by shaggy eel (A long way south of the border.)
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To: Angelino97

Nation Building, America will get behind.


4 posted on 01/03/2026 2:16:34 PM PST by Round Earther
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To: PeterPrinciple

It could mean 2 things and the left’s reaction will be predictable.
Can’t wait until Cuba starts acting up. Gonna be awesome.


5 posted on 01/03/2026 2:16:39 PM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Angelino97
If this turns into another Iraq misadventure, the GOP will lose the midterms and Trump's domestic agenda of migrant deportations will be seriously hampered.

Bush 1 successfully captured Panama's Noriega, after which Bush went on to lose in 1992.

Like many past presidents, Trump is tempted by the allure of military victories. Feels good to flex American military might. Easier than fixing domestic problems.

6 posted on 01/03/2026 2:16:54 PM PST by Angelino97
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To: PeterPrinciple

I will trust Trump no matter what, but I can’t understand how we got to this point.


7 posted on 01/03/2026 2:19:25 PM PST by Kleon
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To: Round Earther

Yes, because we’ve been so good at it


8 posted on 01/03/2026 2:19:56 PM PST by bigdaddy45
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To: Angelino97

What’s with these effing urinalistic A-holes that continue refering to Peth Hegseth as the “Secretary of Defense”? He is the Secretary of WAR - and he leads the WAR DEPARTMENT.


9 posted on 01/03/2026 2:20:01 PM PST by JME_FAN ("It's just the normal noises in here.")
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To: Angelino97

Well somebody better 411 Trump that the Venezuelan VP is now on TV demand that the Maduro’s be released. Maybe boots on the ground after all.


10 posted on 01/03/2026 2:23:04 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Angelino97

Trump has set the tone for 2026: action, accountabililty.


11 posted on 01/03/2026 2:23:49 PM PST by odawg
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To: Kleon

The Monroe Doctrine. Trump doesn’t talk about it. But he is a follower of it.

Canada, Greenland, Argentina, he will make sure we don it have enemies at our door step.

Now China has lost a patron and source of cheap oil.


12 posted on 01/03/2026 2:24:58 PM PST by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Kleon

Maybe only Trump knew that running Venezuela, after extracting the Maduros, was going to be “a thing”.

It’s possible he told nobody about that.

It’s possible Trump only decided it would be a good thing to do that after the success of the “first wave”.

He might not have decided to run Venezuela until after he started speaking to the nation about the overwhelming success of the “first wave”.

As in, heck, let’s do it, why not.


13 posted on 01/03/2026 2:27:11 PM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: Angelino97


14 posted on 01/03/2026 2:28:19 PM PST by Iron Munro (Pamela Geller: Where Islam dominates democracy and non-muslims perish.)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

A Federal judge will have Maduro released and back in Venezuela on 24 hours or less.


15 posted on 01/03/2026 2:29:54 PM PST by Jim Noble (Assez de mensonges et des phrases)
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To: Angelino97

Claptrap.


16 posted on 01/03/2026 2:30:12 PM PST by WashingtonSource
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To: Kleon
Never forget:

President Hugo Chávez targeted foreign operators refusing majority control to PDVSA in joint ventures. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips had their assets seized after resisting terms.

17 posted on 01/03/2026 2:30:28 PM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: FreedomNotSafety

It’s actually called the Trump Corollary and is very close to the Monroe Doctrine.


18 posted on 01/03/2026 2:32:02 PM PST by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man, a subject.")
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To: bigdaddy45

I don’t understand why so many are whining: “but we’re so bad at nation-building.” Trump is not like all the others before. I trust him.


19 posted on 01/03/2026 2:33:00 PM PST by norcal joe
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To: Kleon
> I will trust Trump no matter what, but I can’t understand how we got to this point.

Most countries in Latin America have become nacro states run by international cartels.

If we really want to stop mass migration from these countries, we have to take out the cartels that run them.

Trump must be able to read my mind because he has enacted a common sense policy that I have wanted for decades.

20 posted on 01/03/2026 2:33:15 PM PST by SecondAmendment (Political insight on loan from Rush Limbaugh)
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