How Trump Lost Venezuela

A few hours after declaring victory, Trump had already lost control of Venezuela
Jonathan Larsen
Jan 03, 2026

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Trump’s victory over Venezuela and America’s control of the government were both confirmed to be over within about two-and-a-half hours.

At 2:21pm eastern time, Agence France Press reported that Rodriguez had appeared on Venezuelan state television declaring Maduro the nation’s “only” president.

Speaking live, according to the AFP, Rodriguez demanded “the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro — and his wife Cilia Flores — the only president of Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro.”

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Reportedly, the CIA had a Venezuelan source helping the U.S. The New York Times reported that it’s believed the Trump administration’s $50 million bounty for information leading to Maduro’s arrest helped in recruiting that source.

But it’s not clear whether that source will still help the U.S. in the future. And it’s not just because now their existence has been revealed.

During Trump’s press conference, Trump discussed not paying out the $50 million bounty. “Don’t let anybody claim it,” Trump told Rubio. “Nobody deserves it but us.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/thefuckingnews/p/how-trump-lost-venezuela