Why Trump Underestimates the Challenge of Reviving Venezuela’s Oil
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
The press frames this as Trump blustering about “controlling” Venezuelan oil, as if the only story is ego and overreach. That misses the real question: after years of corruption and collapse, reviving production is not a press conference project, and any U. S.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Earlier in the week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim authorities will be turning over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, before later declaring his administration will control Venezuela's oil sales 'indefinitely'.
Trump has decried the state of Venezuela’s oil sector, noting that the country is producing well below its full potential. “They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping and what could have taken place,” Trump said. “We’re
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The press frames this as Trump blustering about “controlling” Venezuelan oil, as if the only story is ego and overreach. That misses the real question: after years of corruption and collapse, reviving production is not a press conference project, and any U.S. role has to be disciplined and transparent.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed about two risks at once. First, national security realism says hostile regimes use energy as leverage, and Venezuela has been a playground for adversaries. Second, public trust erodes when foreign policy sounds like an open-ended claim on another country’s resources, especially without clear terms and oversight.
If interim authorities are offering barrels, the U.S. should insist on rule-of-law agreements, verifiable custody, and measurable benchmarks tied to stability and reform. We can pursue energy security without improvising a protectorate. The principle at stake is institutional legitimacy, not headlines.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.