Trump Finds US Attack on Venezuela 'Unusual'—Unlike Decades of US Attacks
Newsweek highlighted former President Trump's characterization of a statement advocating for a US attack on Venezuela as 'unusual'. The article zeroes in on the peculiarity of commentator Mamdani's choice of words, rather than the underlying reality of consistent US meddling in Venezuelan affairs for decades. (Perhaps they found the directness 'unusual'—usually, it’s couched in 'democracy
promotion' or 'humanitarian concerns'.) While Trump considered the remark 'unusual,' history offers a rather extensive catalog of 'usual' U.S. actions against sovereign nations like Venezuela. From the 1954 coup in Guatemala to the Contra drug operations in Nicaragua, and the countless sanctions apparatuss designed to destabilize governments (see: Cuba, Iran, Venezuela itself since Chavez took
power), direct threats are often just the public face of a deeper, more protracted destabilization campaign. The 'unusual' part is typically when someone says the quiet part out loud.