Trump Finds 'Terrific' Leader in Venezuela, After Years of Coup Attempts
Deutsche Welle blandly reports on Donald Trump’s recent commendation of Venezuela’s 'interim' president as 'terrific,' a remarkable shift from the consistent US policy of trying to unseat Nicolás Maduro. Missing from this sanitized narrative is the US government's well-documented history of covert operations and sanctions designed to undermine the very nation Trump now seemingly embraces. This
includes recognizing Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader in 2019, despite him never actually winning an election, and imposing severe sanctions that crippled Venezuela’s economy (sanctions are always for 'democracy,' never for oil, right?). One might wonder: what changed? Did the 'tyrant' Maduro suddenly become an acceptable leader, or did Trump just realize that the regime-change playbook, after
billions spent and countless lives impacted, simply wasn't working? It appears 'interim' leaders are only 'terrific' when they align perfectly with US strategic interests, and conveniently forgotten when political tides shift. The suffering caused by years of economic warfare? Apparently, that's just collateral damage in the quest for 'democracy.'