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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(132,944 posts)
Sun Jan 11, 2026, 04:27 PM 3 hrs ago

Venezuela has a ton of oil. It also has something else America needs

President Donald Trump says US companies will now have access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. But the country’s other commodities have also caught his administration’s attention.

Venezuela has unverified amounts of minerals, metals and potentially rare earth elements, experts say. These raw materials are indispensable for industries from defense to technology, and the administration has repeatedly stressed their importance for US national security.

But while Washington might aspire to secure Venezuela’s critical elements, it’s a tall order, experts say, and wouldn’t do much to bolster America’s supply chain.

The quantity and economic viability of Venezuela’s mineral resources are uncertain. Companies also face major risks mining in Venezuela without sustained security guarantees.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/venezuela-has-a-ton-of-oil-it-also-has-something-else-america-needs/ar-AA1TZ9dJ


It would be par for the course for Trump to spend a whole lot of money for nothing.

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Venezuela has a ton of oil. It also has something else America needs (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin 3 hrs ago OP
Robber baron imperialism on full display. GreenWave 3 hrs ago #1
Yup. Lithium, coltan, gold, other things. Igel 2 hrs ago #2
From here on out, with every action Trump takes, we must ask this question: Initech 1 hr ago #3
He's doing this for his tech bro donors. AStern 54 min ago #4

Igel

(37,392 posts)
2. Yup. Lithium, coltan, gold, other things.
Sun Jan 11, 2026, 05:00 PM
2 hrs ago

It's one reason the PRC's so invested in it. That and just spreading influence and building support for its future hegemony.

Russia and Iran got most of the gold, at least in prior decades. Wonder where that got to? But Russia also got to have ships visit, etc.; while Iran gets the IRGC to operate discretely on site.

So yes, we get crap, possibly; but also we get rid of crap, possibly.

And if Venezuela defaults on loans made to it by the PRC and Russia, there'll be some grinning on the part of those that don't like either of the two countries. (And Iran ... 'nuff said.)

Initech

(107,476 posts)
3. From here on out, with every action Trump takes, we must ask this question:
Sun Jan 11, 2026, 06:46 PM
1 hr ago

"How much will Elon Musk benefit from this?".

Because the asshole has been hanging around the White House again, and his fortune has been increasing again. It can't be a mere coincidence. He had to have known about Trump's plans to invade Venezuela.

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