Trump orders military to hold drills off coast of Venezuela

Short answer: oil. Venezuela is a member of OPEC. I suspect some of Trump's other buddies in the ME wouldn't mind if Venezuela was kept tamped down and compliant.

Long answer: Not much. But I doubt seriously Trump is behind it. Like a lot of things this administration does that he doesn't seem to know much about when asked, this is probably being carried out by Miller and Bannon with Trump not caring about it at all.

 

Personal and political benefits can't be ignored.

Removing Maduro is likely to bolster Pr. Trump's image as a president who takes tough action against what his administration has labeled narco-terrorist regimes and anti-American dictators. It will also serve as warning and deterrent to other narco - trafficking states.

Ousting Maduro could allow the U.S. to reposition influence in Venezuela, including restoring Chevron's energy operations and potentially opening up Venezuelan oil and resources to American companies.

Maduro is offering negotiations, and Venezuela riches in order to avoid the conflict.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/maduro-venezuela-us-oil.html
Such economic gains could be played as delivering concrete benefits to the U.S. economy and as evidence of Pr. Trump's ability to negotiate tough, favorable deals.

Overall, Pr. Trump’s personal gains from removing Maduro would be both symbolic and practical, rooted in image, domestic politics, economic opportunities, and international standing
https://time.com/7332032/trump-venezuela-maduro-war/

 

Oil? Maybe. A lever against the Saudis? Not like there's any shortage of even high quality crude which Venezuelan isn't.

 

‘We Intended the Strike to Be Lethal’ Is Not a Defense (Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, November 29, 2025)

McCarthy is an arch-conservative former federal prosecutor who was all in with Trump until January 6.

 

Where is the line? Every President in my lifetime (maybe not Carter? I don't remember) has ordered people killed. Presidents do that.

Deliberate targeting for assassination? Yes. Even that. I don't like it whether it's Obama or Trump or Truman. But they all do/did it. And since the incredibly stupid United Nations treaty framework "outlawed war", yet wars must be fought, no President can do what he should do, get a declaration of war from Congress. He can't so he doesn't bother. Thus the Imperium swells.

Trump is a symptom, an inevitable development.

 

Then maybe we should stop letting the government illegally assassinate people. Just because presidents past did it in doesnt mean we should continue to let this one slide.

 

Well, that's what I think, anyway.

 

These aren't assassinations, though. He's not targeting political or military leaders. He's targeting random non-combatants who he claims are drug traffickers from Venezuela.

 

They don't order the murder of hor's de combat. That's a blatant war crime.

 

You mean like killing bin Laden after he was captured? Yes, they do and have always done.

 

Here's what Wikipedia says.

quote:
Killing of bin Laden
The SEALs encountered bin Laden on the third floor of the main building.[86][100] Bin Laden was unarmed, "wearing the local loose-fitting tunic and pants known as a kurta paijama," which were later found to have €500 and two phone numbers sewn into the fabric.[56][87][93][101]

Bin Laden peered through his bedroom door at the Americans advancing up the stairs, and the lead SEAL fired at him. Reports differ, though agree eventually he was hit by shots to the body and head. The initial shots either missed, hit him in the chest, the side, or in the head.[102][101] A number of bin Laden's female relatives were near him.[101] According to journalist Nicholas Schmidle, one of bin Laden's wives, Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah, motioned as if she were about to charge; the lead SEAL shot her in the leg, then grabbed both women and shoved them aside.[53]

Robert J. O'Neill, who later publicly identified himself as one of the SEALs who shot bin Laden,[103][104] states that he pushed past the lead SEAL, entered through the door and confronted bin Laden inside the bedroom. O'Neill states that bin Laden was standing behind a woman with his hands on her shoulders, pushing her forward. O'Neill immediately shot bin Laden twice in the forehead, then once more as bin Laden crumpled to the floor.[105]

Bissonnette gives a conflicting account of the situation, writing that bin Laden had already been mortally wounded by the lead SEAL's shots from the staircase. The lead SEAL then pushed bin Laden's wives aside, attempting to shield the SEALs behind him in case either woman had an explosive device. After bin Laden staggered back or fell into the bedroom, Bissonnette and O'Neill entered the room, saw the wounded bin Laden on the ground, fired multiple rounds, and killed him.[106] Journalist Peter Bergen investigated the conflicting claims and found that most of the SEALs present during the raid favored Bissonnette's account of the events. According to Bergen's sources, O'Neill did not mention firing the shots that killed bin Laden in the after-action report made following the operation.[107]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden

 

Pentagon recalls Hegseth to active duty for violating most of the UCMJ (news satire from Duffel Blog, December 1, 2025)

 

But he ended a 8 wars, so it cancels out