Trump pressed for help on Venezuela's possible invasion

In this May 22, 2018 photo of the file, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro brandishes the certificate of the National Electoral Council declaring him winner of the presidential election, during a ceremony at the headquarters of the CNE in Caracas, in Venezuela. While an August meeting was ending in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions against Venezuela, President Donald Trump turned to his best assistants and asked a troubling question: with a Venezuela that is rapidly threatening regional security , why the United States troubled country? While a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was ending, President Donald Trump turned to his best assistants and asked a troubling question: with a threatening Venezuela regional security, why does the United States simply invade the troubled country?

The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor HR McMaster, who have since left the administration. This account of the previously undisclosed conversation comes from a senior government official familiar with what has been said.

In an exchange that lasted about five minutes, McMaster and others explained to Trump how military action could turn around and risk losing hard. Support from Latin American governments for the punishment of President Nicolas Maduro for pushing Venezuela on the path of dictatorship, according to the official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

Case of Panama, Grenada

But Trump pushed back. Although he gave no indication that he was about to order military plans, he pointed out what he saw as past cases of gunboat diplomacy. successful in the region, according to the official, as the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s

. The idea, despite the best attempts of his assistants to shoot him, will nevertheless persist in the head of the president.

The next day, August 11, Trump alarmed his friends and his enemies by talking about his life. a "military option" to remove Maduro from Power. Public remarks were initially rejected in American political circles as the kind of martial bluster that people expect the reality TV star to become the commander-in-chief

but soon after he raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. to the US official. Two senior Colombian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid opposing Trump confirmed the report.

With the Latin Allies

Then in September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Trump discussed again, this time, in a private dinner with leaders of four Latin American allies who included Santos, the same three people said and Politico reported in February.

The US official said that Trump had been specifically informed. He said, "My staff told me not to say it." Trump then asked each chief when they were sure that They did not want the military solution, according to the official, who added that each leader told Trump in clear terms that they were safe.

Eventually, McMaster would pull out the president and get him through the dangers of an invasion, the official said. ] Taken together, the behind – the – scenes talks, the magnitude and details of which have not been previously reported, underscore how the Venezuelan political and economic crisis received the greatest attention under Trump in any way. which was unimaginable in the Obama administration. But critics say it also underscores how far his "America First" foreign policy can sometimes seem irresponsible, providing ammunition to America's opponents. White House: No comment

The White House declined to comment on private conversations. But a spokesman for the National Security Council reiterated that the United States will consider all options available to help restore Venezuela's democracy and bring stability. Under Trump's leadership, the United States, Canada, and the European Union have imposed sanctions on dozens of senior Venezuelan officials, including Maduro himself, on allegations of corruption, drug trafficking, and drug trafficking. violation of human rights. The United States has also distributed more than $ 30 million to help Venezuela 's neighbors absorb more than a million migrants who have fled the country.

For Maduro, who has long claimed that the United States had military designs on Venezuela and its vast oil. Trump's belligerent speech gave the unpopular leader an immediate, albeit ephemeral, boost as he tried to escape the blame for widespread food shortages and hyperinflation. A few days after the president's speech on a military option, Maduro filled the streets of Caracas with loyalists to condemn the belligerence of "Emperor" Trump, ordered military exercises on a national scale and threatened to arresting opponents in the United States

"Take care of your business and solve your own problems, Mr. Trump!", blasted Nicolas Maduro, son of the president, in front of the constituent assembly stacked by the government. "If Venezuela was attacked, rifles will arrive in New York, Mr. Trump," said young Maduro. "We will take the White House."

Sentenced Saber-rattling

Even some of the most loyal allies in the United States have been forced to side with Maduro to condemn the clash of the Trump's sword. Santos, a big supporter of the United States trying to isolate Maduro, said an invasion would have no support in the area. The Mercosur trading block, which includes Brazil and Argentina, said that "the only acceptable way to promote democracy is dialogue and diplomacy" and to repudiate "any option involving the use of force ".

Hostility to the idea of ​​a military intervention is slowly eased

A few weeks after Trump's public comment, Harvard's economics professor, Ricardo Hausmann, former minister of the Venezuelan plan, wrote a syndicated column entitled "D Day Venezuela". called for a "coalition of volunteers" composed of regional powers and the United States to intervene and support militarily a government appointed by the opposition-led National Assembly.

Mark Feierstein, who supervised Latin America at the National Security Council. the Obama administration, said that a vigorous US action against Venezuela, even if it is commendable, will not release Maduro's hold on power if it is not accompanied under the pressure of the streets. However, he thinks that the Venezuelans have been largely demoralized after last year's crackdown on demonstrations that caused dozens of deaths and the threat of more repression forced dozens of opposition leaders to l & # 39; exile. Feierstein, who is now a senior advisor to the Albright Stonebridge Group, said about Trump's military invasion of Venezuela. "The problem is that it has raised expectations among Venezuelans, many of whom are waiting for an external actor to save them."

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