Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Jan. 12, 2026
Update	: Jan. 12, 2026
Parts	: 09

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, the main point I want for you to consider here is that Mr. Trump is using the very same approach with Gaza that he tried to use with Kim Jong Un. In other words, dangle the glitter of potential wealth before someone's eyes, and they will do whatever you say. Now we see the very same game plan being played out with Venezuela. Trump and his cohorts are basically telling Venezuelans, "Give us complete control of your oil fields, and we shall restore your country to its former greatness. We will give you freedom, peace, democracy and great wealth such as you have never known before." That is Donald Trump's usual approach to solving all problems. Simply entice them and blind them with money. However, do you know what? In my mind, Donald Trump reminds me of the following Bible verses:

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."


"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."


"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."


"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."


At this point in our discussion, we're going to change gears for a moment in order to talk about a related issue which is directly tied to these latest developments in Venezuela. We will return to discussing Trump's strategy and the oil issue a bit later in this same series.

While certain diehard Trump supporters are still refusing to admit it to themselves or to anyone else for that matter, it is my view that in ordering a US military incursion into the South American nation of Venezuela, Mr. Trump has operated against both the rule of law -- which some people suppose is the international standard, even though it really isn't -- and the US Constitution. Simply put, no nation has the right to invade another sovereign country, and wage war against it with the explicit purpose of deposing its leader, and then replacing him with someone who is more willing to follow the invading country's agenda. In other words, as we discussed previously in part one, we are talking about regime change. In the United States, only the US Congress can declare war against another nation, and NOT the president.

Furthermore, as I also already explained to you in part one, national elections are strictly an INTERNAL matter, and if the constituents of a particular country do not like their leadership or government, it is THEIR responsibility to do something to change it. It is most certainly NOT the right or the responsibility of the United States to do it for them. America is NOT the policeman of the world, and wasn't chosen by other countries of the world to take on such a serious responsibility. In actuality, what President Trump has done sets a very dangerous precedent. After all, if the USA can illegally invade another sovereign nation and take down and arrest its leader, how can America claim to have the moral high ground when other powerful countries -- such as Russia or China -- turn around and do the very same thing with foreign leaders who they don't like either?

Of course, as I write these words, I am thinking of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his focused intention of soon trying to grab Taiwan -- a.k.a. the Republic of China -- and taking down Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te. How can the United States possibly complain about it when it just took down Maduro, and now controls Venezuela's oil exports?

There is another reason why President Trump's actions are so dangerous. We have seen the very same thing happen before. In case you have not noticed, there has been a growing trend in the world whereby powerful national leaders wage war against another country, but without formally declaring a war against that particular nation. Stop and think about this my friends. That is what happened when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. In October of 2002, the US Congress did in fact pass the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution -- also known as the Iraq Resolution, or simply as Public Law No. 107-243 -- which authorized then President George W. Bush to use the United States Armed Forces against Saddam Hussein.

However, what most Americans may not know is that Bush never officially declared war against Iraq in the constitutional sense. In fact, he could NOT do it, just as no US president can do it, because the US Constitution only grants the power to formally declare war against another nation solely to the US Congress. In fact, the US Congress has not done so since World War II. In short, my dear friends, NOBODY declared war against Iraq, and yet a bloody, terrible, eight-year war was fought, which resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens, and around 4,000 American soldiers, as I recall. Some people say it was closer to one million dead Iraqis.

The same thing occurred with America's involvement in the Korean War and the Vietnam War as well. Nobody declared war. That is likewise what happened when the United States bombed the three nuclear sites in Iran. No formal war against Iran was ever formally declared by the US president, or by the US Congress, and yet America dropped some very powerful bombs on Iran in a very blatant act of war. The same thing can be said of American involvement in Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and in other places as well. America just goes in and fights all its wars -- whether short or long -- but never officially declares them wars. It basically amounts to a free-for-all for the president with no real accountability or restraint.

Turning our eyes towards Russia, Vladimir Putin did the very same thing when he invaded Ukraine. Once again, no formal war was ever declared against Ukraine. Putin just went in and did what he did, first in 2014, and then again in 2022. Mr. Putin went to great pains to repeatedly refer to it as a "special military operation". Well, his "special military operation" is now in its fourth year. It certainly seems like a war to me. So all of these leaders are afraid to use the actual word "war", even though that is EXACTLY what they are engaging in.

That is likewise what just happened with Venezuela as well. Neither President Trump nor the US Congress ever declared war against Venezuela. Despite this fact, Trump just went in and engaged in what are clearly blatant acts of war. What makes this situation all the more sickening to me is the fact that right now as I work on this current series, the US Secretary of War -- Pete Hegseth -- and the US Secretary of State -- Marco Rubio -- are quickly making their rounds on a number of the American news circuit channels, acting as spin doctors, and doing their best to try to gaslight the American public into believing an absolute lie.

Exactly what are these two men saying? My dear friends, it is enough to make your jaw drop. That is, if your eyes are truly open. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims that the United States isn't really at war with Venezuela. Mr. Rubio also claims that what just happened was NOT an invasion, and that it will NOT escalate into a full-scale war. About the ONLY honest thing that Mr. Rubio did state is that the Trump administration is seeking a more American-friendly regime in Venezuela. Well, of course they are! They want a puppet which the United States can control! That is rather obvious. They want regime change!

For his part, in a "CBS Evening News" segment, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was spewing forth pretty much the very same ridiculous nonsense as Marco Rubio. Since the US invasion of Venezuela on Saturday, many people -- myself included -- are no doubt thinking about what happened over the past twenty plus years in Iraq and Afghanistan. American forces slogged away in both of those places for years. Yet despite so many billions of dollars being spent, so many lives being lost, so many people maimed, and so many lives disrupted, America came away from both of those situations empty-handed. When Mr. Hegseth was challenged about this on "CBS Evening News", he went to great pains to explain how what just occurred in Venezuela is very different from those two situations. He tried to assure American citizens that America will benefit from its intervention in Venezuela. Yes, it has benefited, because it is not in the process of stealing Venezuela's oil to do with as it pleases.

Ironically, during his press conference this past Saturday after Nicolás Maduro had already been captured and shipped to New York, President Trump clearly stated that he is in fact quite willing to deploy American service members on the ground in Venezuela, if he deems it necessary. Trump's exact words were as follows:

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"We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so. So we are prepared to do a second wave if we need to do so . . . We're not afraid of boots on the ground."

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In that same press conference, Trump also said "We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition." Mr. Trump also added that the United States would begin selling Venezuela's oil reserves to other countries.

However, six days later, on January 3, 2026 President Trump announced in a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club that he had cancelled the possible second wave of attack, due to the fact that Venezuela had begun to cooperate with the US. In his announcement, the president stated the following. It was also posted on Trump's Truth Social commentary account on the X platform:

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"Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of 'Seeking Peace.' This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes. At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House."

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My friends, if what just occurred in Venezuela is not truly a war, and if it was not really an invasion, then why in the world is Mr. Trump using words such as "attack", saying that the United States will run the country -- meaning Venezuela -- until a new president is elected, and likewise talking about putting boots on the ground and saying that the U.S. will attack again if it deems it necessary? Furthermore, how in the world can the United States even sell Venezuela's oil when it is not even America's oil to sell? It belongs to Venezuela! I will be answering all of these questions as you continue reading this series. America did in fact find a way to do everything that it wanted to do in Venezuela!

When an American president -- or any other national leader in any country for that matter -- decides to put boots on the ground in a foreign country when there was no explicit invitation by that foreign country to do so, that does in fact constitute an invasion of that sovereign country, no matter how the invader tries to frame it. When an American president forcefully removes the leader of a foreign nation, and states that they will remain in that country for as long as they want to, that in fact constitutes an invasion.

If there is one thing that is clear, it is that the USA was NOT invited by the people of Venezuela to go in and do what they just did. In fact, following Maduro's capture, Delcy Rodríguez -- who was Maduro's vice president -- was sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela. Earlier the same day, Rodríguez appeared on Venezuelan television along with other top Venezuelan officials. While referring to Nicolás Maduro, the new interim president said "There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros." She also decried Maduro's capture and plainly referred to it as a kidnapping. In her statement Rodríguez said "We demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores."

Despite Ms. Rodríguez's clear demonstration of resistance to and strong disapproval of what the United States just did in her country, President Trump claimed that Rodríguez is ready to work with Washington. Furthermore, Mr. Trump said "She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again." So either President Trump is really lying about this, or else Delcy Rodríguez has already caved under American pressure. I don't think that we have long to find out. I will say this though. I don't think that Trump fully appreciates Latino pride. Latino leaders don't like to be pushed around by the US government. They will resist and fight back. So it remains to be seen what will really happen in the coming weeks and months in Venezuela.

So again we see that this overnight incursion into Venezuela was in fact an invasion and an act of war which did NOT have the approval of the Venezuelan people, or of the Venezuelan government. In fact, as of this moment, both the government and military forces of Venezuela remain quite intact, so how does the United States intend to do anything there, if not through additional military force, meaning, of course, U.S. boots on the ground in a second wave of attack as President Trump referred to it, which Trump now claims he will not do? Well, we didn't have long to find out, as you will soon see.

If any of my readers still require additional proof that the overnight operation in Venezuela by the United States was a blatant act of war, then please consider the fact that during the attack, not only was electricity knocked out in parts of Caracas -- Venezuela's capital -- but the attack by American forces also included strikes on certain Venezuelan military installations which resulted in a lot of destruction, and in a significant number of deaths, the details of which I'll be providing a bit later for you. My friends, you simply do not do those things unless you are fighting a war, and invading a perceived enemy's territory.

Sadly, that is not all, my friends. During an interview on "Fox News Sunday", Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that President Trump has delivered a rather stern warning to Venezuela's aforementioned new interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. According to Noem, President Trump's talks with Rodríguez were "very matter‑of‑fact and very clear." Noem went on to state that Trump told Rodríguez "You can lead, or you can get out of the way." Kristi Noem likewise added that the Trump administration wouldn't tolerate any Venezuelan officials who "subvert our American influence".

Some people had assumed that opposition leader María Corina Machado -- who led a successful election campaign against Maduro in 2024, who had the greatest popular legitimacy to lead the nation, and who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 -- was most likely to become the interim president while the nation waited for the next presidential election. However, President Trump publicly revealed that he wouldn't support Ms. Machado for the position, because in his words, "She doesn't have the support within, or the respect within, the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect." As I dug deeper into the issue, I learned that there is a divided opinion concerning Machado. A number of Venezuelan expatriates who live in the USA insist that Trump was wrong, and say that she did retain the necessary support to become the interim president of Venezuela. However, Trump administration insiders continued to insist that Machado did not have the required political power or leverage to pull it off and lead the nation effectively.

At any rate, Trump chose to support Delcy Rodríguez instead. But then he turned around and gave her the aforementioned stiff warning in which he warned her that she must adhere to America's agenda for Venezuela if she expected to remain in power. Clearly then, President Trump went against the will of the people of Venezuela who wanted Machado, and installed the leader that HE wanted instead, thus revealing again that this was a blatant act of intentional regime change where America wants to call the shots in a foreign country where it has no business even being.

You need to understand that when Trump says "You can lead, or you can get out of the way," what he REALLY means is "You can lead the way that America wants you to lead, and do what the United States wants you to do, or you can get out of the way." In short, President Trump wants to rule Venezuela by proxy. He wants a weak, obedient puppet and a lap dog installed in Venezuela. That this is so is confirmed by other things which Kristi Noem stated in the "Fox News Sunday" interview. She in fact said that the door is open for a new leader in Caracas to steer the nation in a more U.S.-friendly direction. Her exact words were "We're continuing now to make sure that we have someone in place that we can work with in Venezuela."

"Make sure? How did the United States intend to accomplish that?" I wondered. "How could the Trump administration make sure that someone was in place who would follow America's agenda for Venezuela?" Initially, I assumed that there could only be one way, and that would be through direct American military intervention in Venezuela, in order to oust anyone else who would dare act contrary to Trump's objectives for Venezuela. That is what the warning to Delcy Rodríguez was for. That is to say, to let her know and understand that her head would be on the block if she dared to defy America's interests in Venezuela. As we saw earlier, President Trump clearly said that he was ready to send in a second wave of attack if he determined that it was necessary to do so. He even said that he'd be willing to put boots on the ground in Venezuela. So why didn't it become necessary? I'll tell you why more fully in just a bit.

Just now, as I was working some more on this series, I took a minute to read another news article that just arrived from The Washington Times. It contains some of the very same kind of haughty language we have already discussed. For example, while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One this past Sunday evening, President Trump stated his administration is working with Venezuela's current interim President -- Delcy Rodríguez -- whom Trump described as "cooperating". WHAT?!!! Rodríguez is under NO OBLIGATION to cooperate with Trump in any shape or manner if she doesn't want to. After all, it is HER country, and NOT his, and he CANNOT dictate what she must do or not do. At least that is the way a sovereign nation is supposed to work. However, that is NOT what is happening at the moment. Again, I will more clearly explain why this is so momentarily.

As if that wasn't already enough, President Trump then made it very clear to the reporters that Rodríguez must grant the United States "total access" to her country. In explaining exactly what he meant by this, Trump stated the following to the reporters who were present:

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"We need total access. We need access to oil and other things in the country that allow us to rebuild their country. Roads that aren't built. Bridges that are falling down. Nobody can go anywhere."

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As the conversation continued, President Trump then stated, "Don't ask me who is in charge because I will give you an answer and it will be very controversial." When one reporter pressed Mr. Trump regarding exactly what he meant by such a statement, the President replied "it means we're in charge. We're in charge." To say the least, I likewise found Trump's statement just as shocking as when I first heard about what had occurred in Venezuela on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

My friends, please take a very close look at how all of these very haughty American officials are now talking. From Trump, to Pete Hegseth, to Marco Rubio, to Kristi Noem, they are all behaving as if they actually OWN Venezuela. They are behaving as if Venezuela's oil is actually America's oil, and that the United States can do with it as it wants. I find it all quite disgusting. In fact, quite frankly, I think that Trump, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller and all the rest of Trump's team have now gone completely off the rails. They are not even trying to hide their true intentions, now that they've captured Nicolás Maduro and have placed a sword right over the head of interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. The audacity of the things they are now saying just boggles my mind.

However, there are several reasons why Trump and his team are displaying such confidence regarding their control over Venezuela. It isn't just the fact that they have been busy bombing suspected drug boats, or even the fact that they've now captured and imprisoned Nicolás Maduro. America's sword over Rodríguez's head is much worse than that, and the Trump administration is not even making any attempt to hide it. In fact, over the past few days since Maduro was captured, they have been revealing more and more of their wicked plan with each word that they speak to the American press. For example, in a recent interview with CNN News, Stephen Miller -- who is currently serving in a dual position as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, and as homeland security advisor -- stated the following:

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"We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So the United States is in charge. The United States is running the country."

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In short, my friends, at this current time, President Trump has implemented a complete and total military blockade of the South American nation of Venezuela, which has a population of about twenty-eight million people. Mr. Trump has put a huge financial squeeze on Venezuela by blocking its oil exports. That oil is the country's primary revenue stream. So cutting off that stream is how the USA is forcing the Venezuelans to bow to America's will, without having to resort to a second wave of attack, and without having to put American boots on the ground.

Personally, while I obviously do not agree with what Trump is doing, I do totally understand why he is doing it. I know how powerful of a weapon a blockade can be. The reason why I understand this so well is because as some of my longtime readers will know, I live on the small island of Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean. We are a part of the Mariana Islands archipelago, as well as a US territory, and home to three US military bases. Furthermore, we are also a part of the very strategic Second Island Chain. If you don't know what that is, please conduct your own online research.

But my point is this. Being an island in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, we greatly depend on imports for almost everything, from food, to clothing, to furniture, to cars, to building materials, and just about everything in between. We would find it extremely difficult to survive without all of these imported items. Now imagine if in the near future -- say within the next year or year and a half -- China's Xi Jinping makes his grab for Taiwan. Well, we are already on the PLA's -- that is, the People's Liberation Army -- war strategy maps. Both China and North Korea have some missiles pointed right at us, and have launched some in our general direction in the past.

But that is not all, my friends. In recent years, two Chinese aircraft carrier groups -- the Liaoning and the Shandong -- have approached Guam's vicinity several times, coming within several hundred miles of our island. These events occurred in December of 2022, April of 2023, and June of 2025. Of course, China's purpose in conducting these drills so close to our island home was to demonstrate a show of force. These three approaches involved escorts such as destroyers and frigates. Now imagine if China were to completely surround our island with such war vessels, while at the same time, having their missiles pointed right at us. We would be in an extremely dire situation, with no way to receive imports, unless the Chinese allowed them to pass through their blockade.

Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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