View this post on the web at [link removed]
It’s hard to believe we still have 51 weeks left in 2026. We’ve already seen the end of many child vaccine recommendations, the state murder of a peaceful observer in broad daylight, and the hostile takeover of a once sovereign nation. It seems like chaos, and to a degree, it is.
But with Trump, there is always a (corrupt) motive. Which raises the question: why take over Venezuela? Trump has already betrayed [ [link removed] ] the opposition leader who sucked up to him, we know it’s not really about drugs [ [link removed] ], and the oil companies don’t seem that interested [ [link removed] ]. So what exactly is Trump’s game?
Time to log on.
In a hypocritical move that will shock no one, Trump’s New Year’s resolution [ [link removed] ] for “Peace on Earth” didn’t stop him from launching a violent attack against Venezuela this past weekend, which left at least 80 dead [ [link removed] ]. This doesn’t fulfill a mandate or serve the interests of American citizens; per a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll [ [link removed] ], 72% of adults fear the US will become too involved with the South American country.
So, who has the most to gain from the Trump Administration’s takeover? Meet Paul Singer.
Singer is the founder, president and co-CEO of Elliott Investment Management. In November 2025, his company’s affiliate Amber Energy won court approval [ [link removed] ] to acquire the parent company of Citgo, the US-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-run oil company - Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). In addition to his business dealings, Singer also has deep ties to politics; he was one of Trump’s 10 biggest donors [ [link removed] ], contributing $5 million to his 2024 electoral campaign.
As the Trump Administration has now made clear that they will be controlling the sale of Venezuelan oil “indefinitely [ [link removed] ],” how exactly will Singer benefit?
Singer and his company made a killing in the 1990s by buying distressed sovereign bonds in Argentina and Peru [ [link removed] ] at steep discounts and pursuing full repayment through litigation. Venezuela currently owes billions [ [link removed] ] in unpaid debts, and its most-prized natural asset (oil) is now in the hands of the US government, thereby making it easier for creditors to seize and redirect Venezuela’s money. With Elliott Investment Management’s presumptive control of Citgo, Singer is gaining a valuable US energy asset that would benefit directly from the US lifting sanctions on Venezuelan oil. And though Venezuela’s former Vice President and Minister of Petroleum Delcy Rodriguez had initially condemned Citgo’s sale as “fraudulent [ [link removed] ],” something tells me those protests will vanish given the latest threats [ [link removed] ] coming from the White House.
As ever, the Trump Administration is pursuing corrupt, pay-to-play action that benefits only the wealthiest Americans. Singer may stand to add to his $6.7 billion net worth [ [link removed] ], but at what cost?
The Venezuelan state loses sovereignty over its resources, and the US sets a precedent that rewards financial vultures who profit off instability in the region.
And, even the most jingoistic, “America First” observer can’t even claim that the seizure of Venezuelan oil will benefit Americans at the gas pumps. After two decades of crumbling infrastructure and more recent US sanctions, there is a large gap [ [link removed] ] between Venezuela’s presumed oil reserves and the country’s ability to harness and export. Experts agree [ [link removed] ] that we won’t be seeing any reduction in gas prices anytime soon as a result of the invasion.
In 1962, the United Nations adopted a resolution that states every nation has the sovereign right to control the natural resources within its own territory. Trump’s invasion of Venezuela and the seizure of its oil is just one of many examples of his propensity to bulldoze the norms that used to be a given among nations.
If his actions are allowed to go unchecked - if he faces no blowback from Congress or the public - it’s easy to envision a near-future where another territory’s natural resources are next [ [link removed] ]. Then another, and another…
Click here and sign the petition demanding Congress pass a War Powers resolution before Trump strikes again! [ [link removed] ]
We can no longer subscribe to the naive notion that Trump should be taken seriously, but not literally. In less than a year into his second term, he has proven himself more brazen and more dangerous than ever before, and without censure, he’s poised to take the Western Hemisphere (and beyond) over the edge with him.
Unsubscribe [link removed]?
