Trump Wisely Chooses Limited Goals Over Maria Corina Machado’s Ambitions
In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. operation that led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture, much of Washington made a familiar assumption: that Donald Trump would now formally embrace the Venezuelan opposition and usher in a U.S.-backed political transition.
Within policy circles, think tanks, and cable news studios, expectations hardened quickly. The usual people anticipated recognition ceremonies, opposition figures positioned themselves for legitimacy, and commentators spoke confidently about a “handoff” phase, as if regime change naturally culminates in international endorsement and applause. That assumption reflected Washington’s worldview, not Trump’s.
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Trump has never equated removing an adversary with an automatic claim to ownership of what follows. For him, Maduro’s capture was not an invitation to adopt a new client regime and begin nation-building. It was the conclusion of a discrete operation.
This is where the foreign-policy establishment repeatedly miscalculates Trump. The establishment’s members assume that every use of force must be followed by political sponsorship.
Trump rejects that logic. He understands that once the United States publicly embraces an opposition leader or party in a country, it also assumes responsibility for subsequent governance failures, internal fractures, security breakdowns, and economic collapse. That is precisely the trap Washington walked into in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, and precisely the trap Trump is determined to avoid.
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