The South American country is not Ukraine, nor, for that matter, is it Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya. Plan A for post-Maduro governance, Trump suggested, was to leave Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, in power, because she would help the United States do what it wanted. Within two hours, Rodríguez insisted that Maduro remained Venezuela’s rightful leader and denounced the United States as an illegal, imperialist invader seeking to plunder the country. Trump’s definition of these threats is almost infinitely porous, extending to what he has repeatedly called “the enemy from within”. More likely, Donald Trump’s luck with hit-and-run military strikes is about to run out.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2026 01:11 UTC