Why Trump’s action in Venezuela is no surprise
This Is Why
Sky News
4.0 • 552 Ratings
🗓️ 5 January 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Should we be shocked by Donald Trump's intervention in Venezuela – or is it simply an extension of 200 years of Washington foreign policy?
The US stunned the world with the military strikes which led to the capture of the Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro. Trump then went further by suggesting the US will now 'run' the country for the foreseeable future.
For a leader who's positioned himself as a 'President of Peace' does this move mark a significant shift for Trump? And is this a continuation of the sort of US interventionist foreign policy that has shaped the world for decades?
Niall is joined by Dr Stephen Tuffnell, associate professor of modern US history at St Peter’s College, Oxford, to discuss how this move fits into the history of US foreign policy and which countries could be affected next.
Producers: Tom Gillespie
Editor: Mike Bovill
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Sky News, the full story first. |
| 0:08.4 | Coming up, Donald Trump said he was ending America's foreign adventures. |
| 0:13.1 | Then, he sent special forces to seize Nicolas Maduro from his home in Caracas. |
| 0:18.3 | But should we be in any way surprised? |
| 0:21.9 | Hans, the G.C. here. |
| 0:24.0 | I'm whispering because... |
| 0:25.2 | As the queen. |
| 0:26.3 | Queen of social media. |
| 0:27.8 | It's about time for my ASGMR series. |
| 0:31.4 | So I'm recording this on my phone |
| 0:33.4 | and then I'm going to use Canva to edit and upload it. |
| 0:36.5 | Oh, sorry, babes. |
| 0:37.8 | I'll make that a whisper when I edit it. |
| 0:40.9 | Anyways, Canva makes social media edit so easy. |
| 0:44.5 | I'll upload this in a minute. |
| 0:47.3 | Canva, make everything iconic. |
| 0:49.9 | How do I stop recording, Darren? |
| 0:51.6 | You know that feeling when your money is working for you? |
| 0:54.1 | No, well make it. Open an investment account at XTB. Make your... How do I stop recording, Darren? You know that feeling when your money is working for you? No. |
| 0:54.8 | Well, make it. |
| 0:55.9 | Open an investment account at XTB, make your first deposit and receive a free Rolls-Royce stock. |
| 1:01.2 | Rolls-Royce. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sky News, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Sky News and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.