Trump reportedly snapped after Maduro’s public dances, pushing Venezuela operation - NYT
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (Photo: Getty Images)
The dancing of detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on television, along with other displays of nonchalance in recent weeks, convinced the team of US leader Donald Trump to launch a special operation in Caracas, according to sources cited by The New York Times.
As anonymous sources told the newspaper, it was precisely Maduro’s carefree behavior and his dancing on television amid escalating tensions with the US that persuaded Trump to initiate the special operation. This refers to another strike by Washington against a Venezuelan vessel allegedly carrying drugs, after which Maduro nonetheless continued to ignore the White House’s demands and display indifference - including dancing publicly.
"This week he was back onstage, brushing off the latest U.S. escalation — a strike on a dock that the United States said was used for drug trafficking — by bouncing to an electronic beat on state television while his recorded voice repeated in English, “No crazy war.”
Through his behavior, Maduro was allegedly testing whether Trump was bluffing with his threats. The New York Times writes that the US perceived such actions by the Venezuelan leader as a mockery of America, which is why the decision was made to launch a special operation in Caracas.
US operation in Venezuela
On January 3, the US launched a large-scale special operation in Venezuela, carrying out airstrikes on the capital, Caracas. The southern part of the city was left without electricity.
The operation involved aviation, the Navy, drones, and CIA intelligence assets.
The goal of the operation was the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the US military transported to the US along with his wife, Cilia Flores. Both are currently under arrest and awaiting trial. They are charged with drug trafficking.
In addition to organizing drug trafficking schemes, Maduro is accused of illegal possession of automatic weapons and destructive devices, as well as conspiracy to use such weapons against the US.
According to the New York Times, at least 40 people were killed in Venezuela during the US special operation, including civilians. Washington, for its part, stated that none of its service members were killed during the operation, although one American aircraft was shot down.
On January 4, it was announced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would play a key role in governing Venezuela until a safe and lawful transition of power is achieved.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela
The US demanded that Maduro step down as president of Venezuela and offered him exile in Turkey, but he refused. Trump and his team accuse the Venezuelan leader not only of drug trafficking, which they say has led to the deaths of Americans, but also of seizing US assets - specifically oil fields. Accordingly, Washington is demanding that these fields be returned.
This most likely refers to the period when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, nationalized the oil fields, forcing US and other Western companies by decree to hand over controlling stakes to Venezuela’s state oil corporation.
