READING TIME: 5 minutes
SUMMARY: The real danger and meaning behind Trump’s kidnapping of Maduro isn’t the blatant illegality of it or the theft of its oil, but that the liberal democratic world order has been replaced by the authoritarian-oligarchical world order, Trump is completely beholden to the fossil fuels industry, and that we aren’t going to prevent the worst ravages of climate change. And, it is all because of Trump’s narcissism so he can make his billions.
KEY WORDS: Venezuela, Maduro, International Law, Liberal Democratic World Order, Authoritarianism, Narcissism, Executive Dysfunction, Climate Change
COMMENT: How do you view Trump’s misadventures in foreign policy? Am I overreacting or does this signal that he is all in with the authoritarian powers?
- Narcissism
- Trump’s Executive Dysfunction
- The New Authoritarian World Order
- Big Oil Owns Trump
- Image Attribution
Trump’s misadventure in Venezuela has more layers than an onion and will keep us crying long after it has been put in the compost heap. Many people are decrying the illegality of the move and whether Venezuelans support Maduro’s removal, but they’re missing the real point. Here are the real points:
- It isn’t whether it is legal or illegal, it is that international law is dead.
- Big Oil still runs Trump, US foreign policy, and our energy policy.
- And, Trump is going to make his billions no matter who it hurts or what he harms.
Like everything else about Trump, it is driven by his narcissism. Let’s Psysplore!
Narcissism
One of the most important symptoms of a narcissistic personality disorder is that the narcissist steadfastly believes that the rules don’t apply to them and exceptions to the rules will be made for them. You may have noticed that Trump has been pretty contemptuous of our laws, starting with the Constitution.
He doesn’t think that the law applies to him. Exceptions to the laws, expectations, and norms are being made for him everyday by the Republican Party, the legacy media, and the disinterested barely conscious general public. His crimes included committing murder on the high seas, pirating oil tankers, kidnapping the head of a government, and stealing the oil of a sovereign country.
Trump’s Executive Dysfunction
Narcissism forces Trump to focus on the here and now — Eckart Tolle be damned — denying the past and ignoring the future. Trump is constantly in damage-control mode in order to preserve his delusion of perfection. Since none of us are perfect, it is a losing proposition.
Trump doesn’t plan and can’t stick to a plan.
Removing Maduro was a One Shot
Supposedly, the military had had this operation planned for months — probably true knowing the way our military does things, meaning it was one of the contingency plans someone put together — so why now? Because back in November, Maduro danced to “No War, Yes Peace” on Tik Tok. Wait, causing Trump yet another narcissistic wound. That was like six weeks ago; could they put the operation together that fast? Yeah probably.
Trump says we’re going to “run” Venezuela for the time being and many of the people who will be running it were standing behind him, Marco “New Times Roman” Rubio and Pete Hicupseth were back there. With the level of competence displayed by Trump and his current administration, do you really think Marco “I was for immigration reform in 2013, but now I’m for concentration camps” Rubio and Pete “Day Drinker” Hegseth are going to spend every other week in Caracas tending to matters of the Venezuelan state?
Trump’s dementia has him stuck in the 70’s and 80’s, so he is fixated on the nationalization of Venezuelan oil industry in 1976 and the further expropriation of the infrastructure in the early 2000s. Having denied him the kickbacks from steering the contracts to oil companies like a common Spiro Agnew. That was another narcissistic wound. His executive dysfunction only allows him to focus on one goal, and in this case it is the ouster of Maduro and the confiscation of Venezuela’s oil.
There is no plan in place beyond bring Maduro to the US to stand trial. Like all of Trump’s super jenius plans, we are all supposed to be amazed by what he’s done and be satisfied with it When Trump says we’ll run Venezuela, we’re supposed to accept that it is true regardless of what actually happens.
But, what is clear there is no plan for “running” or administing the country. He’s not backing their Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Machado, and is trying to bully Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
No Coordination with Big Oil
Even though Trump has said that our oil companies will go in and redevelop the oil infrastructure, it isn’t clear that these same companies are actually interested in doing so. For one thing, it’s going to cost a helluva lotta money to rehabilitate modernize their oil infrastructure. It will take decades to do. We can’t even guarantee the stability of Venezuela for a day or a week much less the time it will take for these companies to start seeing a profit off of their investment.
Once the US has withdrawn, and we will withdraw at a some point, there is no guarantee that Venezuela will not nationalize their oil industry again, causing them all to lose their investments, yet again. The only thing that is sure is that Trump will have gotten his cut, though. And, to Trump, that is all that matters.
The New Authoritarian World Order
For approximately eighty years, we’ve been building a world order based on the liberal democratic ideals of international laws and human rights. It has been an effective curbing war and promoting free trade between nations.
In the current world order soft power bests hard power, just ask Putin about how his gold reserves are doing (spoiler: he’s selling his gold reserves to fund his illegal invasion of Ukraine). Authoritarians aren’t interested in following the rules or letting international courts arbitrate disputes. They want what they want, and they want it when they want it.
Authoritarians rule through force. It isn’t through the law. They make people do what they want. They use the power of the state in order to achieve their goals, which usually are self serving and self enriching. They systematically eliminate obstacles, checks and balances, and guardrails until they can operate without legal constraints.
Authoritarians want to conduct their foreign policy in the way they do their domestic.
The US has been the chief force behind the liberal democratic world order. Now that we are on the side of authoritarians, taking Venezuela is an endorsement of nineteenth century gunboat diplomacy and sphere of influence by the Great Powers. This is rule by might, not by law.
In effect, Europe has just been ceded to Russia and Asia to China. Putin gets to reform the USSR and the Warsaw Pact and China gets Taiwan and all the disputed islands and whatever the hell else it wants.
Big Oil Owns Trump
By taking over Venezuela for its oil, Trump is telling us that he is all in for oil and fossil fuels. With Trump in office, we’re heading for the worst case scenario on climate change. He will keep the oil flowing until the climate completely collapses.
The only funny thing here is that the oil companies (a) seem to be as surprised as the rest of us and (b) as unprepared to move forward as the Trump administration is… which isn’t surprising given that Trump has no plan.
The conclusion is that Trump will keep blundering along violating laws, rights, norms, and whatever else strikes his fancy until someone stops him. With Trump there is no floor. He has no self restraint. There isn’t anything that he won’t do if he thinks it will benefit him.
Trump is completely unrestrained. It will continue to get worse until someone steps up to stop him.
Image Attribution
This image was found on Collections using a Creative Commons license search.
The Psy of Life 
What’s really dangerous, is how Trump used the loots he robbed from Venezuela, to SHOW off the military strengths that the U.S. is capable of, to continue the U.S.’s domninace in the Western Hemisphere, he’s using Venezuela as an example to mostly China, that he will, do everything he can do, defend HIS, territory (the Americas: North, Central & South), he made an example out of Venezuela, to “parade” the military strengths of the U.S., to show the world, that no country can and will get away with MESSING with him. With a psychopath like him, people have to, read under his behaviors on the surfaces, to know his real intentions, and even then, nobody can, predict what he is going to do next, that’s how he keeps the rest of the world on his, tight, leash!
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Howdy Taurus!
I now that China was engaged in some black market oil trading in Venezuela, but otherwise, I don’t know that they had much engagement there. It certainly has ended now. Trump has parked about a third of our navy off of Venezuela’s coast giving other malign actors plenty of space to act in, ie China in Taiwan. I will note that Trump didn’t have much to say about China’s recent provocative military exercises there.
He’s intent on destroying the restraints that international law and norms that the liberal Western democracies have developed and imposed upon the world since WW II. It only helps the authoritarian states of Russia, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabian. By voluntarily removing the US from being a global superpower and making us into a regional power only, he is ceding other regions to other powers and allowing the world to fall into chaos.
Huzzah!
Jack
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I was already thinking that the most appropriate protest sign for today would need only three words: IMPEACH – REMOVE – PROSECUTE
Waiting for him to die, be killed, or deteriorate to complete disability won’t do. Whoever would inherit what he has begun would try to take his place and continue.
Only the humiliation and rejection of that process can actually destroy and de-legitimize Trump and Trumpism. He has to walk the perpwalk.
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Howdy Bob!
Like I said in an earlier comment, it is time to pressure Congress to impeach and convict Trump. To succeed it needs to come from the people in overwhelming numbers. I don’t know that we can pull it off, but we need to try.
Huzzah!
Jack
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I think that if there is one action by Trump in his current, “Nobody can stop us.”, mood that can be a bridge too far for enough Republicans on Capital Hill, it will be about Greenland and NATO, and the single charge could be treason. This is especially true if a war powers limiting act about Greenland action is passed and he defies it (i.e. bullshits around it as “not really a military action”).
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Howdy Bob!
Blowing up NATO over Greenland — there is nothing we can get by taking “possession” of Greenland that we cannot get because Denmark is an ally — may be the thing that breaks enough Congressional Republicans. It could be that the added weight of Venezuela, the ICE murder in Minneapolis, and Epstein could bring the house of cards down. Although I don’t think it will push Republicans to impeach and convict Trump. It may cause them to restrain him through the budget. He wants to increase the military budget by about half! And, ICE has a budget larger than the all of the local police departments combined. It may cause them to agree to impeach Noem or RFK, Jr.
We’ll see.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Some of the Republicans are willing to try to restrain him. He is determined not to be restrained. If there is a line he could cross that would turn enough Republicans to impeach and remove, I think it would have to be on a single charge, not a laundry list, and done fast, ideally, one day in the House and two at lost in the Senate, a National Emergency action, and with as little as possible forewarning. He would lash out, try to stop the process, or sit smugly back expecting it to fail again, and more likely, flip back and forth between those.
Impeaching his appointees should probably start with RFK, Jr. as the easiest, and include Pete H.. Trump would try to interfere with those too.
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Howdy Bob!
I know Democratic representatives are working on impeaching Kristi Noem. I can’t imagine that there isn’t some kind of rumbling about impeaching RFK, Jr. And, Republicans are talking about impeaching judges.
It really is becoming increasingly clear that Trump needs to be impeached and that impeachment is the only guardrail left standing. The Greenland NATO fiasco should be the thing that pushes it to the brink. Getting rid of NATO would be such a radical change to the world order and the way stability of the world — most international companies wouldn’t support it just because of that — that it seems like even Congressional Republicans would sit up and take notice.
The Senate just passed a resolution limiting the use of military force in Venezuela. The House just passed a bill extending the ACA subsidies for three years. Hopefully, they both will pass, and then someone will introduce a bill that puts Greenland off limits. Not that Trump is bound by laws, but the blatant and spectacular violation of the law that any action in Greenland would require — if it were outlawed — would be enough to drive impeachment.
Huzzah!
Jack
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He is on the way to doing something such that a sufficient majority in both houses will know it is “NOT ONE MORE DAY” time. He’s in “Nobody can stop me.” (direct quote to the NYT) mode. Aristotle had it right that the fatal flaw and driver of tragedy is Hubris.
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Howdy Bob!
Hopefully, his final overreach won’t be too painful or involve much loss of life and property. However, I don’t hold out much hope. I’m afraid it will take something calamitous to push the Republicans over the edge
Huzzah!
Jack
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What might it take to totally freak out Mike Johnson? It will have to come very close to that.
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Howdy Bob!
My father’s family is from the Tennessee side of the Great Smokey Mountains, and they were very conservative Southern Baptists. Anything that violated their strict sense of morality, besides self dealing — racism and misogyny were baked into their morals and ethics, by the way — freaked them out and were deal breakers. Apparently, the same is not true for Mike Johnson’s brand of Christianity.
The whole end justifies the means thing for the modern Evangelical and conservative Christian seems to excuse almost anything. God works in mysterious ways, so however we get there is good. In other words, there is nothing that Mike Johnson cannot rationalize and justify.
Huzzah!
Jack
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It wold have to but him in fear of the final destruction of the Republican Party, or at least of his own political career and the relegation of Christian Nationalism back to the far lunatic fringe.
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I think it would only be his political career that would have to be threatened by Trump. Everything he could rationalize away as part of the ends justifying the means. But personal damage, as we’ve seen from the rank and vile MAGA, is never part of the equation. When Trump hurts them personally, they turn away from him or are at least resentful and find it much more difficult to rationalize.
Huzzah!
Jack
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And, their numbers and increasing as he screws over them and their constituents out of sheer pettiness.
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Howdy Bob!
As you’ve noted before, hubris is the downfall, and I think we’ve reached the hubristic overreach in Trump’s ambitions and coverups. Between going after the victim in Minneapolis and ignoring the ICE officer, destroying NATO through a pointless pursuit of Greenland, the naked greed and corruption of taking over Venezuela, the cruelty and rights violations of ICE, and the coverup of the Epstein files, I think we’re reaching the breaking point. Add to that the vindictive prosecutions of Powell and the freak out that has put into America’s corporate class because it will break the economy for a decade or more, and we may have enough Republicans on board to make for a Nixonian we can no longer protect you moment.
Huzzah!
Jack
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It is getting to the point at which Congress needs to act or might as well go home and let him turn the Capitol into a Trump brand hotel.
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The Republicans are happy to play Duma to his Putin. But, Trump is incapable of being Putin because Trump is a malignant narcissist and Putin is a psychopath. The psychopath is capable of maintaining their relationship with their supporters; the narcissist is incapable of such things for long. It may be the only thing that can save us.
Jack
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And Trump can only see one counter-party at a time, friend or foe. In this case, he sees Denmark as standing alone, not NATO. If he attacks, NATO will have to have a unified response or cease to exist. Germany and France are joining Denmark in moving troops to Greenland.
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Howdy Bob!
I think that is the best possible response by NATO, moving troops to Greenland. It really dares Trump to attack and guarantees a shooting war.
I question the legality of the orders to invade, occupy, take over, or attack Greenland since it is a legal ally. I would hope that the command structure of the military allows them to defy the order.
The other piece that I find disturbing about his Greenland rhetoric is that it sounds a lot like Putin’s reasoning or invading Ukraine. One reason Putin says he did it is to keep Ukraine out of NATO — an enemy — and Trump says he wants to keep Russia and China out of Greenland. It sounds eerily familiar.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Yes, NATO is definitely sending a message by putting multinational troops where they will be in harm’s way if Trump invades.
An order to attack a treaty bound ally without military provocation is as far as I can see completely illegal (and utterly stupid) and must be refused. The catch is that until the order is directly given, they have to play along with the supposed planning and try to inject some reality.
The rhetoric is identical. And as for Russia and China, they know that in making a move on Greenland they would be taking on NATO and it’s allies directly. The who does not understand that is Trump.
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Howdy Bob!
I really don’t see how Trump can legitimately invade Greenland and take over its government. We lack any pretext for doing so. But, we’ll see. His obsession with Greenland really looks like it is divorced from reality, though.
I think that NATO would continue in some form or fashion without us, though. Albeit, weakened. One of the few silver linings to come out of this dark cloud is that it is forcing Europe to step up and become more proactive in the way the world is run and defended. There’s some lag time as they begin to produce their own arms, but they’ll need to to defend themselves from Russian and US aggression on their territory.
Huzzah!
Jack
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I realized that his focus on Greenland does make sense (to a degree) in spite of the NATO system and the agreements that allow us to do pretty much whatever we want in the way of defense there. He does not trust, cannot trust, any ally or multi-member system of allies. He really believes he must own it lest somebody take it away.
Of course, if he acts on it by force the global backlash will end the US as a great power, because that power is built on the very alliances and the world wide military presence he would destroy.
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Howdy Bob!
Trump’s narcissism prevents him from trusting or workingg with anyone lest they take away from his accomplishments. Logic and reasoning have no place in him. All he knows is calculation. In that sense he is truly mad, which is a very good reason for removing him from office. Greenland makes that case most clearly.
The Fed, though, is probably what will push the oligarchs and Republicans the furthest down that path because it is the thing that most directly affects their well being or money.
Huzzah!
Jack
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With the likely fallout and backlash to an action on Greenland, that will hit the money people hard too. Both really out to do the trick.
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The capitalist carries their wallet where their heart should be, so they are extra sensitive to threats against their money. Trump has hit that third rail now twice. Since Trump doesn’t have the control over the oligarchs or the party that Putin has, he’s likely to face much more serious pushback from them.
Jack
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An old saying: Money talks and bull shit walks.
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When has Trump been spewing anything but?
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This is so much BS….does anyone think this will slow or rid the world of drugs? Or could it be the world’s largest oil reserve the real goal? Someone needs to step up and put this slug out to pasture where the rest of the manure is….
Off topic Jack….https://knowridge.com/2026/01/study-finds-new-cause-of-autism/ Peace my brother……chuq
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Howdy Chuq!
Trump won’t stop until someone or something stops him. It is clear that his Cabinet, the Republican Party, Congress, the Courts, MAGA, allies, or anyone else will stop him. He knows that there is a possibility that he will lose the House in 2026, even though they are trying to steal that election. He’s got to get as much money as he can by January 2027 when the new Congress is sworn in.
He’s destroyed our democracy and the post-WW2 world order in order to make him billions.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Jack….his whole presidency is about enriching himself at all costs….I am still not convinced that he will lose much support…..just a nagging feeling….I do not like it. chuq
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Howdy Chuq!
It is clear that Trump is corrupt and simply enriching himself, cronies, and select corporations. The racism and misogyny of MAGA is such that I think they will sacrifice just about everything in order to be as openly racist and misogynistic as they wanna be. Sad state of the country. Having elected Trump twice, it’d up to them to prove it wrong.
Huzzah!
Jack
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Jack….this will enrich Donny and family in one way or another. chuq
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