Venezuela: Liberation or New Cage?

Trump bombed Venezuela, killing over 40 people (including civilians); and captured President Maduro on the 3rd January, 2026. The entire world instantly had headlines about the event, and the iconic picture of Maduro blindfolded and deafened was on the front page of many high-profile newspapers (BBC News, 2026). Here I present an objective analysis of the situation; as well as paint a picture about what to expect next. The evidence will be presented, and the reader will be equipped to form her or his opinion on the matter. The event spread like wildfire on the 3rd January, 2026. Maduro's image wearing headphones and a blindfold became viral to the point that the Nike tracksuit he was wearing sold out fast (The New York Times, 2026). The year began with a bang, and a schism. Many took to the streets to celebrate the downfall of Maduro, a figure who was perceived by many as a dictator who ruled the country for nearly 13 years since 2013 (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2026). Others, however, took to the streets to protest and demand that their President be returned, condemning the US as an imperialist and neocolonialist state. But what are Trump's real motivations behind his saviour facade? One thing he has explicitly admitted to is that he wants, and he will take, Venezuela's oil 🛢️; or else, further and worse attacks would take place. (AP News, 2026; Time, 2026). And... What happened to the Epstein Files?🗂️ As the hours went by, different world leaders expressed their condemnation or praise for such an action (Reuters, 2026). Tips within the United States government began to be posted on social media. Greenland would be next (Reuters, 2026a). This came when Katie Miller, the wife of Homeland Security Adviser and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy - Stephen Miller - of the US posted a tweet on X (2026; CNN, 2026a). This sparked great controversy in Denmark, where the Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had to urge Trump to stop threats about annexation. 'The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom' (Sky News, 2025). Furthermore, European allies have rallied around Greenland ready for war should Trump attempt to invade the Danish country (BBC News, 2026c). The Unfolding Present As Trump continued to threaten the former Venezuelan Vice-President - and now interim President - Delcy Rodriguez with worse attacks if they did not hand over their oil reserves or meet his demands (Time, 2026); even the opposition began to join the protests against the US. Venezuela began to realise that Trump was not a saviour, he was worse than Maduro; and a state of emergency was triggered (OMCT, 2026), with great mobilisation taking place within the country (The Wall Street Journal, 2026). China was abhorred, and stated that what the President of the United States did was illegal (USA Today, 2026). Similarly, Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented that should Trump attack Colombia, he would unleash the jaguar of the people (The Guardian, 2026). France's President Macron also expressed that the method used by Trump was distasteful. Pedro Sanchez - Spain's Prime Minister - expressed that Venezuela's territorial integrity is non-negotiable; China's President Xi Jinping further demanded that the US releases Maduro, and President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was ready to support Venezuela. The action has also been condemned by the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres as being a direct violation of international law (UN News, 2026). A more comprehensive list of reactions was provided by Reuters (2026). Venezuela holds the largest crude oil reserves in the entire world (NY Times, 2026; BBC News, 2026a). Trump wants it, and this is why Russia's delegate to the United Nations expressed that such actions were a criminal operation (Russia UN, 2026). Some call the incident a capture, while others call it a blatant kidnap. Maduro himself claimed he was kidnapped and that the narco-terrorism charges (among other charges) laid against him were false allegations. He pleaded not guilty, therefore; and added that he was a prisoner of war whilst he still was the President of Venezuela. Furthermore, his wife's lawyers requested that she be given proper medical attention for potential bruised ribs and fractures, apart from the injuries on her face (BBC, 2025). The situation is looking gritty, to say the least. It is a public humiliation for Venezuela, and an apparent neo-colonial, imperialist agenda led by President Trump. The Donald decided to also threaten Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico - stating that they could be next. The Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel was outraged and spoke out (CBC News, 2026). The Secret Trump Wants You To Forget Now, exploring the bigger Iceberg, Trump was recently found to have been heavily incriminated in the Epstein's files (BBC News, 2025). Of course, he needed to act fast in order to cover up his deeds, and what better distraction than starting a war against Venezuela? Suddenly, the headlines were no longer about the Epstein-related sexual crimes, they were about Nicolas Maduro. This is exactly what Colombian President Petro picked up on, and spoke about when addressing the Colombian people as the following video shows. The Epstein files explicitly showed President Donald Trump posing with many key victims. Now some people defend him, even if he was a sex predator; adding that he was Venezuela's 'liberator', and deserves a prize to recognise his good deeds towards peace. Yet, it was only two weeks ago that Epstein files were all over the news. Taking Maduro was a smooth criminal move that has (at least temporarily) distracted the masses from his shadow (CNN, 2026b; Washington Post, 2026). NOTHING IS NEW! And indeed, Trump is not satisfied with the one distraction. He wants more. The US State Department officially declared the Western Hemisphere as 'theirs' last year (X, 2025), indicating that many other countries are at risk (Brookings, 2025; White House, 2025) References AP News (2026) Trump says US to get millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela at market price. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-democrats-9d16138866bebdc2644eb009c6326066 (Accessed: 7 January 2026). BBC News (2025) Who and what are in the Epstein Files?. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r38ne1x2mo (Accessed 8 January, 2026). BBC News (2026) 'Deeply Shocked': World Leaders React to US attack on Venezuela. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r38ne1x2mo (Accessed: 7 January 2026). BBC News (2026a) Trump says Venezuela will be 'turning over' up to 50 million barrels of oil to the US. Available at: bbc.com/news/articles/c4grxzxjjd8o (Accessed: 8 January, 2026). BBC News (2026b) 'I'm a prisoner of war' - In the room for Maduro's dramatic court hearing. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6v25eldmdo (Accessed: 9 January, 2026). BBC News (2026c) European allies back Denmark over Trump's threat to annex Greenland. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07xkeee2k3o (Accessed 8 January 2026). Brookings (2025) Breaking down Trump's 2025 National Security Strategy. Available at: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/breaking-down-trumps-2025-national-security-strategy/ (Accessed: 7 January 2026). CBC News (2026) World leaders push back against U.S. in wake of Maduro's ouster. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/world-leaders-react-us-venezuela-aftermath-9.7034166 (Accessed: 7 January 2026). CNN (2026a) Trump's push to access Venezuela's oil reserves faces major barriers. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/05/business/venezuela-trump-oil-chevron (Accessed: 7 January 2026). CNN (2026b) Department of Justice is reviewing over 5.2 million Jeffrey Epstein files. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/06/politics/epstein-files-justice-department-review (Accessed: 7 January 2026). Encyclopedia Britannica (2026) Nícolas Maduro. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolas-Maduro (Accessed: 7 January 2026). NY Times (2026) How Venezuela's Oil Could Shake Up the World Supply. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/business/venezuela-oil-supply.html (Accessed: 7 January 2026). OMCT (2026) Venezuela: State of Emergency Demands Immediate Protection of Human Rights. Available at: https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/venezuela-urge-garantizar-los-derechos-humanos-ante-el-estado-de-excepci%C3%B3n (Accessed: 8 January 2026) Reuters (2026) World reacts to US strikes on Venezuela. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/world-reacts-us-strikes-venezuela-2026-01-03/ (Accessed: 7 January 2026). Reuters (2026a) European leaders rally behind Greenland in face of renewed US threat. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/only-greenland-denmark-can-decide-their-future-european-leaders-say-joint-2026-01-06/ (Accessed: 7 January 2026). Russia UN (2026) Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on Venezuela. Available at: https://russiaun.ru/en/news/05012026 (Accessed 8 January, 2026). Sky News (2025) Denmark's PM urges Donald Trump to stop threats to take over Greenland. Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/denmarks-pm-urges-donald-trump-to-stop-threats-to-take-over-greenland-13490529 (Accessed: 7 January 2026). The Guardian (2026) European leaders appear torn in face of new world order after Maduro ousting. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/venezuela-european-leaders-divided-and-torn-in-response-to-us-ousting-of-maduro (Accessed: 7 January 2026). The New York Times (2026) The Sweatsuit Was Bound to Become a Meme. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/style/maduro-nike-tech-sweatsuit-meme.html (Accessed: 7 January 2026). Time (2026)What’s Happening With the U.S. and Venezuela, Explained. Available at: https://time.com/7344628/us-venezuela-trump-maduro-oil-drugs-war-explainer-questions-answered/ (Accessed 8 January, 2026). The Wall Street Journal (2026) Venezuela Orders General Mobilization to Counter 'Imperialist Attack'. Available at: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/venezuela-strikes/card/venezuela-orders-general-mobilization-to-counter-imperialist-attack--mfXqHW198pCtN0WaqGT3 (Accessed: 8 January, 2026). UN News (2026) US actions in Venezuela 'constitute a dangerous precedent': Guterres. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166698 (Accessed: 7 January 2026). USA Today (2026) How world leaders are reacting to US capture of Venezuela's Maduro. Available at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/05/us-venezuela-maduro-capture-world-reaction/88031426007/ (Accessed: 7 January 2026). Washington Post (2026) Fact-checking Trump's claims after U.S. strike on Venezuela and capture of Maduro. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/05/trump-fact-check-venezuela-maduro-oil/ (Accessed: 7 January 2026). White House (2025) National Security Strategy. Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf (Accessed: 7 January 2026). X (2025) Deptartment of State:This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened. Available at: https://x.com/StateDept/status/2008221563888292207 (Accessed: 7 January 2026). X (2026) Katie Miller: SOON. Available at https://x.com/KatieMiller/status/2007541679293944266 (Accessed 8 January 2026). Subscribe to get access Find out the details when you subscribe today. Log in