Yeah but France is my favorite South American country

I see through this charade! He just wants to have closer relations with the French!

It can make sense in other ways too imo.

If you told me ten days ago the US would capture Maduro, bomb the shit out of a variety of military sites, and kill a bunch of civilians in the process, I would ask which American navy vessel was attacked to start the war.

But, uh.

Venezuelan oil MUST remain off of the world markets by and large in order for the current glut of oil production not to be an economic dead end for oil production companies in the US and elsewhere who overcommitted in a world where EV vehicles are proliferating at a rapid pace.

Iirc Venezuelas production is down because it’s facilities can’t process as much oil as at peak without multi-billion dollar updates and repairs.

I think it’s more likely the Trump admin gives US oil companies subsidies to take the oil out despite it being anti-capital and anti-competitive; those two things are his whole MO whenever he thinks capitalism isn’t beneficial for him personally.

But this whole incident strikes me more as a case of projecting US power than seeking petrol dollars specifically. Like, that’s part of it, and not all of it.