"Privately, White House officials long saw the removal of Maduro as a key aim, Axios' Marc Caputo reported. Between the lines: The Trump administration framed the capture as a law enforcement operation based on U.S. indictments of Maduro, as well as Maduro's illegitimacy as Venezuelan president stemming from the country's sham 2018 election. Here are six big reasons that the U.S. sought to topple the Venezuelan leader:"
"Public enemy No. 1 in the Americas: To the White House, Maduro was a source of problems that extended well beyond Venezuela. Officials saw him as a bad guy who helped to prop up other bad guys in the Western Hemisphere. Venezuela, as well as Cuba and Nicaragua, are viewed by the Trump administration as key actors of the "axis of socialism" - with Colombia also under scrutiny. Trump warned last month that President Gustavo Petro needs to "watch his ass" over cocaine flowing to the U.S. The administration made little secret that its feud with Maduro's socialist regime was as much about ideology as narcotics."
The Trump administration privately pursued the removal of Nicolás Maduro, framing potential capture as a law-enforcement action tied to U.S. indictments and Maduro's illegitimate 2018 election. Officials portrayed Maduro as a regional troublemaker who bolstered other authoritarian regimes, labeling Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua part of an "axis of socialism" and treating Colombia with suspicion. The U.S. alleged state-linked cocaine trafficking involving gangs like Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, prompting interdiction strikes and a bounty connected to narco charges. Strategic economic interests in Venezuela's vast oil reserves also shaped U.S. pressure and rhetoric.
Read at Axios
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