Trump pressured Caracas to control Venezuela’s oil and gold, according to the Washington Times.
According to this conservative right-wing American newspaper, Trump’s intense pressure on Venezuela is not limited to fighting drug trafficking or reaching its oil reserves and natural resources, or even Washington’s long-term plan to restore dominance in the Americas and counter the influence of China and Russia.
Analysts and foreign policy experts believe that Trump’s focus on Venezuela is a combination of geopolitical, economic, and personal factors that have led the White House to launch a multi-pronged campaign against the Maduro government, which Trump has called illegitimate.
Nearly a year into his second term, Trump considers Venezuela one of the most important pieces on the high-stakes global chessboard.
According to the analyst of this American newspaper, the Trump administration seems to think that it can transform Venezuela from a hostile narco-state into a friendly democracy with significant reserves of gold, minerals, and crude oil with the help of a series of military and geopolitical measures and perhaps a little luck. Experts also believe that Trump wants to achieve his personal goal that was not achieved during his first administration: to overthrow Maduro.
“There is a sense in the Trump administration that a job is left unfinished,” said Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the British think tank Chatham House.