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Trump Brought Venezuelan Gold to the U.S., but Refiners Won’t Touch It
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- In early March, President Trump celebrated a military intervention in Venezuela with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and a businessman who brought 10 Venezuelan gold bars to the White House Roosevelt Room.
- Initially critical of Venezuelan gold due to environmental and corruption concerns, Trump changed his stance after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- On the same day the gold bars arrived, the Trump administration issued a policy allowing the import of Venezuelan gold from a state-owned mining company still designated as a U.S. national security threat.
- This gold trading deal highlighted how the Trump administration leveraged Maduro's removal to gain control over Venezuela's resources, moving beyond oil exports to include mineral wealth.
