Why Venezuela? Trump's shifting explanations about military buildup
ABC News••nation
Key Points:
- The U.S. conducted a large-scale strike on Venezuela, capturing leader Nicolas Maduro, raising questions about President Trump's shift from his "no more wars" campaign promise to a risky military operation.
- Trump initially justified military actions near Venezuela as efforts to curb drug trafficking into the U.S., despite evidence showing Venezuelan cocaine mainly reaches Europe and fentanyl originates from China.
- Trump accused Maduro of crimes including emptying prisons into the U.S. and stealing U.S. oil and land, claims that lack supporting evidence and appear linked to historical nationalization of Venezuelan oil reserves.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Maduro's regime as intolerable due to its cooperation with terrorist and criminal groups and its anti-American stance, framing the operation
