I think Trump is going to topple the Venezuelan dictator
Trump’s recent signals toward Venezuela look less like routine sabre-rattling and more like the early stages of a plan to finally unseat Nicolas Maduro.
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Tonight, on The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra unpacks how for months, Donald Trump has talked tough about Venezuela. But his latest comments, paired with the massive U.S. military deployment now positioned in Puerto Rico, feel different. At a recent press conference, Trump’s tone was unmistakably forceful, and the visuals of American air power staging just offshore made clear this isn’t a theoretical exercise.
Maduro, for his part, is showing signs of sweat. In a recent clip, he sounded rattled, almost pleading. Reports suggest he has asked for amnesty or special guarantees if he steps aside. Trump’s answer, apparently, was a flat “no.” That alone would be enough to make any dictator nervous.
Officially, the U.S. says it is targeting drug-running vessels, and yes, there have been regular strikes on these small boats. But you don’t need an aircraft carrier group to sink glorified fishing skiffs. The claim that these operations are illegal, pushed by regime-friendly media, is laughable.
Pirates and narco-traffickers are legally hostis humani generis — enemies of all mankind. Trump has already designated these groups as terrorists, a move Canada followed. And despite what left-wing critics suggest, there is no rule against acting decisively.
But underneath the legalities sits a simple truth: Maduro is a tyrant. He stole his election, just as Hugo Chavez did before him. His country is starving ... literally. By 2017, the average Venezuelan had lost 24 pounds because of hunger. Oil production collapsed after nationalization, falling by roughly 70%. At today’s prices, Venezuela is missing out on about $43 billion a year, in a country with a GDP of roughly $100 billion.
Meanwhile, Maduro’s traditional allies are in no position to bail him out. Russia is consumed by Ukraine. Iran and Hezbollah have been weakened. China doesn’t want a geopolitical spectacle. Cuba is struggling through its worst economic crisis in decades.
This is why Trump’s posture feels serious. There’s a $50-million reward on Maduro’s head. You don’t deploy this much hardware to chase dinghies. The more likely scenario is a wave of special-operations missions, CIA, military units, covert teams already on the ground aimed at regime change, not nation-building.
It’s also a reminder that while Canada obsesses over its own internal squabbles and climate-tax MOUs, the world’s real power plays are unfolding elsewhere — whether we pay attention or not.
GUEST: Franco Terrazzano of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation on the state of Canadian corporate welfare and its failures now that Stellantis CEO praises Trump in the Oval office while bringing billions to the U.S.
COMMENTS
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Anthony Salotti commented 2025-12-05 08:55:07 -0500We need a Trump type leader in Canada . Trump’s going to show that you can win the war on drugs . -
Hermann Kodom commented 2025-12-05 01:59:11 -0500Great job as usual, keep it up!
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Marilyn Hagerman commented 2025-12-05 01:17:11 -0500Maduro is a vicious cartel leader who terrorizes and rules as a dictator in Venezuela, once a free and prosperous country. He’s deep in bed with the CCP regime that runs illegal drugs directly to Venezuela for distribution to Mexico, US, Canada.
Two excellent reasons for the massive U.S. military deployment now positioned in Puerto Rico! An election promise of President Trump was cleaning out the suppliers of deadly drugs to US.
If Canada only had leadership with a smattering of what Trump says and does, Canadians could begin to see some light ahead!! -
Paul Scofield commented 2025-12-04 21:37:25 -0500Nicely put, Mr. Wrenshall!
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-12-04 21:35:19 -0500Trump has presented terms under which Maduro should pack it in. Maduro is trying to get blanket amnesties for himself and his gang. I’m assuming that it also means keeping all the money they ransacked from the Venezuelan people. I guess he doesn’t fancy working in a 7-11 while in exile in Coleslawvania.
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-12-04 20:41:48 -0500Venezuela and other backward dictatorships war against americaacemetrically. They use drugs and corruption to weaken their enemies. In the past, America has been a sucker for this underhanded tactic of non military warfare. But Trump is fighting back and, most importantly, winning.
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-12-04 20:39:21 -0500Corporate welfare is why Alberta must become a republic. Ottawa keeps shooing away business. Were Alberta a nation, it could concentrate capital flight from the provinces and become the richest country except for America.
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Drew Bowles commented 2025-12-04 20:30:49 -0500With Carney at the helm, the Venezuelification of Canada is well in hand; perhaps Trump will invade to save us!
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Peter Wrenshall commented 2025-12-04 20:20:19 -0500The usual Democrat suspects in Congress are caterwauling about “war crimes” over the second hit on a Venezuelan drug-running boat last September in order to eliminate survivors. But obviously these are not workers at a Sudanese aspirin factory. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just good “pour encourager les autres” tactics.
