Well, that didn’t take long.
Just hours after President Donald Trump decided to play action figure by bombing Venezuela and abducting its leader, Nicolás Maduro, he let the mask slip.
Actually, he didn’t just let it slip. He tore it off, stomped on it, and set it on fire.
If you thought this sudden burst of aggression was about “drugs” or “democracy,” I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Or perhaps an oil tanker.
It’s All About the Barrels, Baby
Here is the only number you need to know: 303 billion.
That is how many barrels of crude oil Venezuela is sitting on.
It is the largest proven oil reserve on the planet.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, that accounts for about a fifth of the entire world’s reserves.
And you better believe that fact is living rent-free in Trump’s mind.
He didn’t even try to hide it.
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud on Fox
Trump appeared on Fox News this Saturday morning for his usual safe-space ego boost.
They asked him what he sees for the “future of Venezuela’s oil industry.”
His answer was honestly breathtaking in its lack of subtlety.
“Well, I see that we’re going to be very strongly involved in it, that’s all,” Trump said.
He wasn’t done.
“I mean, what can I say? We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it.”
There you have it.
We aren’t sending diplomats or aid.
We are sending the “greatest” oil companies to be “very much involved” in a sovereign nation’s resources.
Subtle as a sledgehammer.
Trump on Venezuela’s oil industry: “We are going to be strongly involved in it.” pic.twitter.com/blwdc78DSp
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) January 3, 2026
Finders Keepers?
This isn’t even the first time he has admitted that this whole operation is basically a smash-and-grab job.
Remember earlier last month?
The U.S. military seized two Venezuelan oil tankers.
When asked what would happen to all that stolen black gold, Trump didn’t talk about international law or due process.
“We’re going to keep it,” he replied.
He sounded like a toddler clutching a toy he stole from daycare.
“Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we’ll use it in the Strategic Reserves,” he mused.
And just to make sure we knew the piracy was total, he added a final detail.
“We’re keeping the ships also.”
At least he is honest about the looting.
The MAGA doctrine turns out to be pretty simple.
See it. Bomb it. Steal it.
