Trump now reaps the direct rewards of appropriating the oil wealth of Venezuela.
Qatar is the first place criminals place their money and the last place it can be traced as far as who actually is sending it. Trump will now have a private slush fund to fund any private venture he wants or pay for secret military moves with no traceable accountability.
Russia’s response to developments in Venezuela parallel Russian responses to the joint US/Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025 — highlighting a continuity in Russian foreign policy decision-making over the backdrop of the war in Ukraine since Trump took office in January 2025.
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday asked lawmakers to approve reforms to the oil industry that would open the doors to greater foreign investment during her first state of the union speech less than two weeks after its longtime leader was toppled by the United States.
(October 2025) The administration of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has offered to open up Venezuela’s oil and gold projects to U.S. companies in an attempt to appease the Trump Administration and avoid conflict, the New York Times reported on Friday, quoting multiple sources close to the discussions.
Over several months, officials of the Maduro regime have negotiated with U.S. officials offers of Venezuela’s natural resources and proposed to end some deals with Iran and Russia, in an attempt to avoid increased confrontation with the United States.
Maduro has reportedly offered the Trump Administration to open all Venezuelan oil and gold projects to U.S. companies, NYT reports. The regime in Venezuela was also ready to offer preferential contracts to American firms, re-direct Venezuela’s oil exports from China to the U.S., and reduce energy and mining deals with companies from Iran, China, and Russia.
Rodríguez, who has been under pressure by the Trump administration to fall in line with its vision for the oil-rich nation, said sales of Venezuelan oil would go to bolster crisis-stricken health services, economic development and other infrastructure projects.
She outlined a distinct vision for the future, straying from her predecessors, who have long railed against American intervention in Venezeula. “Let us not be afraid of diplomacy” with the U.S., said Rodriguez, the former vice president who must now navigate competing pressures from the Trump administration and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro.
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The Trump administration has said it plans to control future oil export revenues to ensure it benefits the Venezuelan people.
Rodríguez is addressing an anxious country as she navigates competing pressures from the United States — which toppled her predecessor less than two weeks ago — and a government loyal to former President Nicolás Maduro.
In her address to the National Assembly, Rodríguez is expected to lay out her vision for her government, including potential changes to the state-owned oil industry that U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to reinvigorate since Maduro’s seizure.
apnews.com/…
GEMINI
While the Trump administration has not officially disclosed the total cost of Operation Absolute Resolve, independent analyses and statements from officials provide a breakdown of the significant financial and military resources involved.1
Direct Military and Operational Costs
Analysts have estimated the costs of the various components used in the raid and the surrounding blockade:2
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Naval Blockade: The ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Venezuela has cost an estimated $700 million as of early January 2026.3 This is largely driven by the operation of the USS Gerald R. Ford and its carrier strike group, which costs more than $9 million per day.4
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Ammunition & Strikes: Estimates for munitions used in strikes include Hellfire missiles ($150k–$220k each), AGM-176 Griffin missiles ($127k each), and Small Diameter Bombs ($40k each).
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Personnel: Roughly 15,000 U.S. service members have been deployed in support of the operation, including 5,000 in Puerto Rico and 2,200 Marines aboard ships.5
Long-Term Economic Projections
President Trump has framed the operation as a self-funding venture, stating that the U.S. will be "reimbursed" by appropriating the oil wealth of Venezuela.
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Infrastructure Investment: Experts estimate that restoring Venezuela's oil production to its 1990s peak will require a long-term investment of between $58 billion and $100 billion.6
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Corporate Spending: The administration expects U.S. oil companies to invest billions to repair broken infrastructure and restart production.
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Bounties: The operation resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, for whom the U.S. had previously increased the arrest reward to $50 million.
Summary Table of Costs
| Category |
Estimated Cost |
| Naval Blockade (to date) |
$700 Million+ |
| Daily Carrier Group Ops |
$9 Million/day |
| Maduro Arrest Reward |
$50 Million |
| Projected Oil Reconstruction |
$58 Billion – $100 Billion |
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"Remember when Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of using the Clinton Foundation as a slush fund because she let Saudi Arabia donate bed nets to keep kids of dying from malaria?"
Puts this bribe from Qatar into perspective, doesn't it
open.substack.com/pub/lawandch...
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— AFinRenoFightsBack 🌮 ❌👑 (@callyson.bsky.social) May 12, 2025 at 10:36 PM
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Then maybe you guys should make it clear:
-Congress is powerless. The Supreme Court is completely corrupt.
-Secret police are disappearing citizens and non-citizens on a daily basis without warrants or due process.
-You ARE Russia.
Maybe start there.
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— Dennis Detwiller (@drgonzo123.bsky.social) Dec 28, 2025 at 7:48 PM
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It is a disgrace what Donald Trump is doing in Minneapolis.
It is a disgrace what he's doing across this country, terrorizing our communities.
It is a disgrace what his Department of Homeland Security is advertising.
It is absolute corruption that we haven't seen before in modern world history.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@governor.ca.gov) 2026-01-16T19:06:55.977Z
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Is the extortionist John Mark Dougan in the Epstein files? He worked for the Palm Beach Sheriff and defected to Russia in 2016. The FBI wants him for wiretapping and extortion. He works for Russian military intelligence and claims to have the Epstein files. The EU just sanctioned him; the US didn't.
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— Catherine P. Henry (@catherine-p-henry.bsky.social) Dec 28, 2025 at 6:24 PM
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Worker at Ford assembly plant in Michigan calls tRump a “Pedophile protector”, so keeping it as presidential as this trash heap can, tRump flips him the bird.
I would have to disagree with the heckler, tRump doesn’t protect the pedophiles, he is the king of murderous pedophiles.
#PedotRump #Pinks
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— SaltyBitchables (@saltybitchables.bsky.social) Jan 13, 2026 at 5:47 PM
