Expressions of unbridled power don’t come blunter than abducting a sitting president from his capital in the dead of night. But there is a grave exception here: Maduro is a head of state, whose nation is prey to various ongoing US political objectives. The evidence that Maduro was top of the regional tree was also not as substantial as the White House would have hoped. Yes, Venezuela undoubtedly permitted drug trafficking from its airspace and shores, with the top, global cocaine producer Colombia just over the border. A key, real Trump “corollary” to this action, is migration.

Source: CNN January 04, 2026 01:23 UTC