By Owen Schalk
January 13, 2026
Introduction:
Read more here: https://progressive.org/latest/in-vene ... 0260113/(The Progressive) Over the past four months, President Donald Trump has engaged in a war with Venezuela, though no one in his administration will openly admit it. Through military encirclement, economic sanctions, covert operations, the bombing of civilian vessels near Venezuela’s coast, a “total and complete blockade” of Venezuelan oil, and the outright theft of several tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, the Trump Administration is trying to pressure and overthrow a South American government that, for the past twenty-five years, has challenged U.S. influence in Latin America and the Caribbean. On January 3, the United States illegally bombed Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, and kidnapped the president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, accusing them of drug trafficking. However, the U.S. Department of Justice has since acknowledged that the cartel it accused Maduro of leading is not an actual organization.
The Trump Administration has made clear its objective to usurp Venezuela’s oil and other natural resources and reassert U.S. military, economic, and political power throughout the Western Hemisphere, including through the use of violence and war. In doing so, the truth has become undeniable: This is a war of domination. As aggression from the United States has escalated, grassroots organizations in Venezuela have vehemently rejected U.S. intervention and, in concert with the government, have organized to resist U.S. air and land attacks. Many of the same groups have now participated in massive rallies demanding Maduro’s release from U.S. custody.
Despite the seizure of Maduro—and U.S. threats to take long-term control of the country—the ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), remains in power. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president, while other prominent officials of the Maduro government remain in their positions. Trump has threatened a second wave of attacks if Venezuela’s government does not sacrifice its oil wealth to U.S. companies and sever ties with Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba. However on January 9, Trump announced he had canceled plans for any second attack.