New York Times: Trump’s $100 Billion Venezuela Oil Plan Gets a Cool Reception

January 10, 2026 Hunter Wallace Conservatism, Energy, Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Politics, Populists, Progressives, Venezuela, World 19

As many people have already noted, Trump is the first American president in history to launch a “war for oil” which is not about oil. There is no pressing need for Venezuela’s oil because of the success of the American fracking industry. The United States is now the Saudi Arabia of oil. Gas prices were already cheap because of the low global price of oil. We could have always bought Venezuelan oil. Chevron is still there. Venezuela was only selling its oil to China because of our crushing sanctions.

The oil majors aren’t in any rush to invest $100 billion dollars in Venezuela’s dilapidated oil infrastructure. They have already written off their losses from the Bush era. The oil majors didn’t push for this and would rather invest in other countries and avoid Venezuela’s political instability.

New York Times:

“President Trump has put a number on how much he wants the biggest U.S. and European oil giants to pour into Venezuela: at least $100 billion.

During a meeting at the White House on Friday afternoon, oil executives made it clear that they were not yet prepared to follow through.

Darren Woods, who leads the largest U.S. oil company, Exxon Mobil, was especially blunt during a televised portion of the meeting.

“We’ve had our assets seized there twice, and so you can imagine to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes,” he said. “Today it’s uninvestable.”

For the company to return to Venezuela, legal changes would have to be made, and there would need to be “durable investment protections,” Mr. Woods, Exxon’s chief executive, said. But he offered an olive branch to the White House, saying Exxon was prepared send an exploratory team to Venezuela within the next few weeks if it received security guarantees.

Exxon and ConocoPhillips, another large American oil company, have been pursuing substantial claims against Venezuela’s government for assets it seized during a nationalization wave two decades ago …”

Trump’s half baked imperial vision is what is driving this.

We don’t need Greenland or Canada to become the 51st state. We don’t need regime change in the “Narco Caliphate” of Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia. We don’t need to attack Iran. The Monroe Doctrine doesn’t explain why Trump attacked Iran, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria and Somalia.

The purpose of Monroe Doctrine, which was enforced by Britain and the Royal Navy for most of the 19th century, was deter European recolonization of Latin America. It wasn’t to turn transform newly independent Latin American republics into formal American colonies. It is also a pathetic indication of our growing economic weakness and political disarray that we are trying to transform Venezuela by force into a colony when China has become the biggest trading partner of most of South America.

Axios:

“MAGA is pressing the Trump administration to write a new chapter in America’s expansionist history — one that adds territory and influence as part of a new Western empire.

Why it matters: On its face, MAGA’s imperial turn is a head-spinning reversal for a movement built around hostility to “endless wars” in the Middle East.

But reframed as hemispheric dominance, the right’s expansionist impulse fits a civilizational worldview: America as the enforcer of the West, bending weaker nations to its will.

What they’re saying: In the days after President Trump’s stunning capture of Nicolás Maduro, even some of MAGA’s loudest non-interventionists began casting strategic lands in America’s hemisphere — including Colombia, Cuba and Greenland — as ripe for colonization.

“How can you get more ‘America First’ than Manifest Destiny 2.0?” “War Room” host Steve Bannon told NBC News.

“Expansion is the American way. It has been since literally the first moments of its existence,” wrote The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh. “If Americans in the 1800s were as timid and weak as some of the naysayers today, we never would have even reached the Pacific.

“[I]t’s up to us to keep pushing for the orderly governance of the world via American imperialism,” MAGA influencer Mike Cernovich said this week on Tucker Carlson’s podcast. …

Zoom out: At its core, MAGA thought leaders are animated by the belief that America is the heir to ancient European empires — and thus the central guarantor of Western power. …”

Initially, I was excited about this rhetoric.

I have always believed that our foreign policy should be focused on the Western hemisphere. I have always opposed stupid wars and interventions in Eurasia.

Manifest Destiny was a glorious epoch in American history which was celebrated by Madison Grant in The Conquest of a Continent and Theodore Roosevelt’s The Winning of the West. We should reassert the Monroe Doctrine. It is true that expansion is the American way. The problem is that “MAGA thought leaders” don’t understand American history the way that I do.

American expansion WAS NOT imperialism or colonialism. We took sparsely populated territory in North America, settled it with our own people and replicated our own culture and institutions. Jefferson’s “Empire of Liberty” was a federation of republics. Liberty was the core animating principle. The Republic grew in size in the lower 48 states. Maine became a little Massachusetts. Kentucky became a little Virginia. Alabama became a little Georgia. Each state was sovereign, the equal of every other state in the U.S. Senate. Each state joined through its own free will and was settled by White people. Indians were treated as semi-sovereign, autonomous, independent tribes and confined to reservations.

In the “American Empire,” Tennessee is not an imperial possession or a commercial colony exploited by Virginia. White settlers moved into trans-Appalachia. They acquired property and farms. They benefited from the process. They became the equals of Virginians with the same laws, institutions, culture, bloodlines. This couldn’t be more different than, say, Ireland’s colonial relationship with the British Empire, Saint-Domingue or Vietnam’s relationship with the French Empire, Indonesia’s relationship with the Dutch Empire, Brazil’s relationship with Portugal, Mexico’s relationship with Spain, etc.

In traditional empires like the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire or the Ottoman Empire, one people conquer another, loot their resources, exploit them and force them to pay tribute. The Romans brought their captives to Rome who were sold into slavery or killed in triumphs like Vercingetorix the king of the Gauls. The Britons fought back against the Romans under Boudica. The Germans fought back against the Romans under Arminius. The Turks terrorized their subject peoples in the Balkans for centuries. To say that America has always been an “empire” like previous empires isn’t true.

MAGA’s imperialism lacks 1.) racial considerations and 2.) any concern for consent. Cuba, for example, was conquered by the United States in the Spanish-American War, but wanted to be an independent nation and was granted its independence which is inconceivable in traditional empires. We also didn’t want to incorporate Cuba into the United States because of its large non-White population. Previous generations of Americans would have never entertained the notion of reducing Venezuela to a colony or incorporating it into the United States. They recognized its independence, engaged in commerce and sent warships to the region to protect its independence from its German creditors.

In MAGA, there has been an uncritical, dumbed down, vibe based embrace of the idea of “empire” in general, which lacks any concern for the type of “empire” that America actually was when it was great. Specifically, the character of our “empire” was White, Protestant and republican, but I get the sense that the people who are moving in this direction and who support the “Donroe Doctrine” would say that Hitler is based or Genghis Khan is based or Stalin was based. Greatness is being defined as just being powerful or dominant. Look how powerful we are dominating Iran or Venezuela. We’re The Empire, not the Republic in Star Wars. Trump’s attack on Venezuela was a daring Viking raid!

19 Comments

  1. That does seem to be true. I was just reading up on VZ oil production. The high point of their production, just before and after Chavez took over, was about 3.2 mil bbl per day. It’s down to 700K now and the infrastructure is seriously decayed. It will require billions to restore. The best theory of the oil’s importance has nothing to do with extraction and sale, but with the criminals on Wall Street’s ability to spin more derivatives on the reserves in the ground there.

    Reply

    • The great bulk of Venezuelan oil reserves lies in the untapped and unmapped Orinoco tar sands. Most all of the past and current production comes from the eco-disaster of Lake Maracaibo. The always predictable results of a mixed race society, one clumsy catastrophe compounding on the next.
      Venezuela could easily pump 25 million bbl/day under the right supervision, *ahem* WHITES.

      Reply

      • @US of AIPAC,

        “Venezuela could easily pump 25 million bbl/day under the right supervision, *ahem* WHITES.”

        Again by White what do you mean. Like WASP or like White Latinos like Nick Fuentes?

        Reply

  2. “The problem is that “MAGA thought leaders” don’t understand American history the way that I do.”

    It do be like that, Mr. Wallace.

    Reply

  3. Ha ha ha. Hunter crashing out of the Patriot network, the MAGA movement, and now the America First Hegemony coalition, all because of his oil patrons and Trotskyite friends is funny. Bro, I warned, Venezuala was coming, I warned MN was coming, so now I’ll warn Iran is coming. Let’s see what your oil patrons and trotskyitr friends think of ending Sand N@ggerdom in Iran.

    On the other hand, perhaps Hunter will be consistent in his crash out and go full libtard join with Code Pink and Trotskyites. Then he can denounce any regime change in Iran so the Mullahs can remain in power and scatter shiite from their fan base in Iran all over the world and America. After all, he refused to believe me that Iran was entering a collapse stage and the protests there were unlike any seen. Now, it’s unmistakable. So, will he up the ante and denounce protestors wanting an end to their Islamic terror dictatorship?

    Hunter said he could care less for tens of billions of Somali Fraud, care less about Venezuala becoming a province of the international Caliphate, care less about Cuban soldiers spreading terror, care less for Commie drug dealers from Colombia. So, he could care less when I warned him what was coming. But now that the US has crushed Anti-American foreign occupation in Venezuala, he wrote about American Imperialism. With the Somali Minneapolis scandal is growing he remains silent. So, American flexing overseas seems to what gets his goat. Maybe he will write next about why we must resist America helping regime change in Iran so American hating drug dealing, terror supporting Sand N@gger Mullahs should stay in power in Iran, cuz muh Empire and Israel.
    https://youtu.be/IFPeM7jt2JI?si=1fY9bEDLMND8t1nh

    Reply

  4. Trump: “30 million barrels of oil was given to us by Venezuela…

    The US uses that much oil in 35 hours, BFD !

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  5. “United States is now the Saudi Arabia of oil.”

    Emm, not really, we can’t export 10 mm bbl/day. A lot of that ‘oil’ we have is natural gas condensates.

    I think you may be missing a larger scheme that’s afoot. They want to get an alternative supply to the Persian Gulf, so that when they go to war with Iran and Persian oil is cutoff and the world economy won’t collapse.

    I think this is being set up as a buffer for an eventual war with Iran in a couple of years. A scheme hatched by our greatest ally, to be implemented by their goy golem, the USA.

    ( Fracked wells don’t last very long, they exhaust quickly. we are in a temporary golden age of production.)

    Reply

  6. Let’s see how long their enthusiasm lasts when the situation degenerates into Iraq 2.0 with the US having to commit large numbers of troops to force the natives to accept “democracy.” I smell a neocon rat’s forever war brewing.

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  7. I asked AI to come up with a way to have Elon Musk acquire the land and keep all the other countries away and then let the current residents run it as they see fit. I asked for a new name (Elonexcalia) named after Elon but the native people would want to keep the original name I am sure:

    *** SET SATIRE ON ***


    Public Notice Regarding the Stewardship of Greenland

    The territory known as Greenland is hereby placed under the custodial protection of Elonexcalia, a non-sovereign, non-extractive, non-governing entity established for the sole purpose of preventing external acquisition, coercion, or strategic competition. Elonexcalia asserts no territorial ambition, claims no resources, and exercises no authority beyond standing in the way.

    All civic, cultural, economic, and political governance remains entirely and irrevocably in the hands of the people who live there. No assets are to be removed, no bases constructed, no flags raised, and no influence exerted. The role of Elonexcalia is administrative minimalism: to exist, to absorb attention, and to decline participation.

    This arrangement is intentionally unproductive. It offers no leverage, no access, and no advantage to any external power. Attempts to negotiate, pressure, purchase, annex, or “partner” will be met with prolonged paperwork, circular referrals, and a standing refusal to engage in anything that resembles geopolitics.

    Accordingly, all nations, alliances, corporations, and interested parties are advised to back off. There is nothing to gain here, nothing to extract, and nothing to win. Greenland is not available, not contestable, and not part of any future strategy beyond its own.

    Greenland will now return to doing nothing.

    *** SET SATIRE OFF ***

    Reply

  8. This is good, because a lot of white nationalists will argue that you’re defending Zionism by alleging that oil and corporate interests play a role in our foreign policy. But for Trump to right out claim it discredits people like David Duke.

    Reply

    • The amount of incongruous statements and illogical isms these people spout are too many to argue. You just have to stare at their unbelievable immaturity even autism and say Bless Your Heart. I’ve tried to argue the oil and corporate interest facts as contrary evidence but they except it and say the Jews own all the oil including the Saudis who are actually Jews or something. They are insincere at best or retarded at worst. It’s sad to see Hunter say he is against the thinking and then repeat it but as a liberal Jimmy Carter avatar. You can’t win with them. All you can do is play and hope the readers are entertained and learn something. Namely, this isnt a Southron outlook website. It’s Jimmy Carter’s ghost machine.

      Reply

  9. Venezualan factions unable to come to terms as Cuban, Chinese, Hezbollah, Iranian, Russian and Cartel ground commanders and troops refuse to leave per demands of Trump and Venezuala Acting Interim President. Threats are now being made by them and their proxies against forces loyal to Rodriguez and as Free Venezualan forces begin to gather. The various groups are now setting up road blocs in the capital and or amassing forces elsewhere. US State Department warning any remaining Americans must leave now or risk imminent harm.
    https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-warns-americans-leave-venezuela-immediately-armed-militias-set-up-roadblocks.

    Operation Escalate DONROE about to be brought to bare and rain fire from the sky on these jungle dagos. Lots of Commie Cubans about to die, which is good, cuz less for the main theatre as it shifts north.
    https://youtu.be/ovRhLzL_ZHQ?si=YdF4317Q2tNujcPa

    Reply

  10. Trump is right that Venezuelian oil is the worst in the world. It is like tar.

    When Zog was using that Venezuelian junk to make diesel the diesel was junk. Engine clogs, breakdowns, low MPG. All the trucking companies were complaining that the fuel is junk.

    If Zog is going back to that Venezuelian tar, I am glad this is my last year out here driving a truck. I originally started over the road in order to escape a severe gangstalking situation. That worked pretty well, though I sometimes got attention from the black SUVs with tinted windows, but all in all it worked. So I bought a truck and kept rolling.

    Zog used to get the sour needed for diesel from Iran or Russia or Saudi, but Zog sanctioned Iranian and later Russian oil, and now Saudi deals with China and pays in Yuans, and they have production limits under OPEC, so CITGO and CHEVRON got Trump to retake the Venezuelian.

    Trump’s deal was written by Chevron. Delcy is playing both sides, so Trump is soon to meet with the other hag, the Nobel Prize winner, who wants him to do an actual regime change. The situation is fluid.

    A lot of history books explain how in their later geriatic stage empires take on too much, they lash out in all directions hoping to stave off the collapse. I suppose that is what is happening here. It is almost over.

    Reply

    • “Venezuelian oil is the worst in the world. ”

      So was coal tar, until a bunch of German chemists started working with it. Now we have endless color chemistry, synthetic drugs, polymers and even synthetic butter. If the right people, WHITES, are given the education and incentives that tar sand sludge could be the feedstock of endless organic products, even butter.

      Reply

      • @US of AIPAC,

        “If the right people, WHITES, are given the education and incentives that tar sand sludge could be the feedstock of endless organic products, even butter.”

        Do you mean Whites like Italians, Spaniards, Romanians, Greeks, or do you mean Whites like British, Germans, Scandinavians, i.e. Anglo Saxons and Nordics? Or specifically Germans?

        Reply

    • 95% of Canada’s oil is tar sand oil and it accounts for over 50% of our oil imports from Canada. Venezuela has the same type of oil as Canada. US refineries would have no problem refining Venezuelan oil because that is what US refineries are set up to refine.

      Reply

  12. We’ve gone from the most “kinetic” thing (other than securing the border) going in the administration — cleaning our own house with DOGE being the big attention getter (after the border) — to now riding shotgun with Netanyahu as we stick our nose in every conceivable situation in the world assuring the world that we are no longer isolationists but now we DO mean boots on the ground. Crazy.

    Trump reminds me of Gen US Grant. Grant would go on a bender and be totally out of it for several days. But then he would sober back up and do great things and in Lincoln’s eyes when others complained to him about Grant’s drinking problem he is to have said:

    “I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.”

    I think Trump and Netanyahu and of course all the neo-cons surrounding them are all drunk off the “whiskey” of absolute world dominating power — killing/deposing all those they consider to be the bad guys. Nothing gets them on a high greater than that and can compare to it. And doing mundane things like making lives affordable for all their citizens is such a downer — that sort of America First is way too boring and is not what they do best they seem to think. MTG, Massie and others complaining about addressing all the mundane things is such a nag to all these Rambos. So forget about Epstein, forget about the high cost of just about everything as these neo-con Rambos go on another bender. When will they sober back up…who knows? (The Bible says that this present evil world is under the direction of the god of this world — Satan the Devil. You take out one bad guy and there will be ten more to take his place. Things will never improve until Christ returns.)

    Now, Lindsey Graham always seems to be so lifeless and depressed unless we are turning other countries upside down killing all their strong men with all the latest new weapons the military complex has come up with. And Netanyahu is just ecstatic and making jokes about sticking explosives into pagers that blows his enemies heads off. When these neo-cons are happy a lot of essentially defenseless civilians defending their “grass huts” are dying. The third world needs to keep track of how happy Graham and other neo-cons are and run for the hills when you see them smiling.

    Hope Trump comes off this take-out-all-the-bad-guys-in-the-world bender soon and finds another person on the level of “Elon” for DOGE and let that be (other than rounding up all the illegals which is a war in itself) the most “kinetic” thing going again. Domestic problems are the real America First issues that needs to be addressed now. Bring all the costs down and get the waste out of the federal government.

    America First, Dixie Firstest

    May God Save the South!

    Reply

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