The U.S. invasion of Venezuela is being sold to the public as a bold stand against narcotics trafficking, but that narrative collapses under even modest scrutiny. By the government’s own data, only a small fraction of illegal drugs entering the United States originate in or transit through Venezuela, making it a curious centerpiece for a supposed counter-narcotics crusade. If Washington were genuinely motivated by stopping the flow of illicit substances, it would focus its resources on the primary sources and transit routes, rather than launching a destabilizing military venture in a nation whose drug footprint is comparatively marginal.

That inconsistency becomes even harder to ignore in light of recent presidential pardons that have benefited figures tied to the drug trade. When an administration can extend clemency to a convicted drug kingpin while simultaneously invoking the specter of narcotics to justify an invasion abroad, the moral logic rings hollow. The contradiction exposes a cynical selectivity: drug crime is treated as an existential threat when it serves geopolitical aims, and as a negotiable offense when it intersects with political or personal alliances.

Strip away the rhetoric, and what remains looks far more like a resource-driven intervention than a principled campaign for law and order. Venezuela possesses one of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and the interests most eager to see regime change are not humanitarian agencies or public-health advocates, but multinational energy corporations eager to reshape access and contracts in their favor. This invasion does not safeguard American families or reduce addiction; it advances the priorities of oil executives under the banner of national security. The American public deserves honesty about that reality and the courage to reject yet another war dressed up as a moral mission. Practically every action Trump has taken over the past year has been guided by self-enrichment, his attacks on solar, wind and EVs have all been designed to improve the fortunes of Oil companies who bankrolled his campaign. Energy prices for American consumers are rising because he has attacked these industries and whats good for oil is good fro Trump. You don’t matter as Trump so eloquently stated in 2024.