Trump Consulted Oil Companies Before Venezuela Action, Proving 'America First' Means 'Big Oil Always'
Donald Trump openly admitted to speaking with major oil companies before taking action against Venezuela. According to Newsweek, he stated, "I spoke to the oil companies. I said, 'What do you think? How important is Venezuela to you?'" This isn't groundbreaking policy from a Laissez-faire enthusiast; it's a direct confirmation of influence peddling that most mainstream outlets would bury under
layers of diplomatic rhetoric. The US government's history of intervention in resource-rich nations, from Chile in the 70s to Iraq in 2003, consistently places corporate interests above 'democracy promotion' when the chips are down and the oil is flowing. One might wonder: when US foreign policy decisions are openly shaped by private industry, how exactly does that differ from the resource
extraction model of old colonial empires? Is the 'national interest' simply a euphemism for 'corporate profit margins' when a President asks Big Oil for their input before sanctioning an oil-producing nation? It appears 'America First' translated directly to 'Texas and Chevron first.'