What's Trump's Venezuela endgame?
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.1 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 December 2025
⏱️ 10 minutes
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Summary
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuela and its leader. What is the ultimate goal?
President Trump says he’s imposing a ban on all ‘sanctioned’ oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Venezuela’s government is calling this an ‘outrageous threat’ intended to rob the country of its oil wealth. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at [email protected].
This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam, with audio engineering from Ted Mebane.
It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Christopher Intagliata.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In the last seven days, U.S. actions against Venezuela have escalated as the administration continues to target what it alleges are drugboats. |
| 0:09.8 | On December 10th, the U.S. seized the skipper. |
| 0:13.3 | As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large. |
| 0:21.9 | Very, very large, and carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil. |
| 0:26.6 | Then Tuesday night, President Trump declared on Truth Social, quote, |
| 0:30.4 | I am ordering a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela." |
| 0:38.3 | The Trump administration has made no secret it wants the country's president, |
| 0:43.3 | Nicholas Maduro, and his allies out of office. |
| 0:46.3 | His days are number. |
| 0:47.3 | Nicholas Maduro, as he considers whether or not he wants to continue to be a narco-trafficker, |
| 0:51.3 | has some decisions to make. |
| 0:52.3 | He doesn't want to go around with the United States. |
| 0:56.4 | Consider this. The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuela and its leader. |
| 1:02.5 | What's the ultimate goal? |
| 1:04.3 | From NPR, I'm Mary Louise Kelly. |
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