Trump directly attacked Venezuela this week, two strikes on two other nations in one week.
Disappointed, I wasn’t surprised. My immediate response: was this a military action or CIA activity?
I was also concerned about deaths, injuries, and property damage and destruction.
Other questions came up for me:
- Did Trump consult with Congress beforehand?
- Did the strike have any military and economic success?
- How do Americans view this attack?
Trump’s increasing attacks on Venezuela and other nations are disconcerting. I worry that they’ll translate to open warfare or counter attacks.
Some comments associated with news of the attack surprised me. Several individuals cited President Maduro’s unpopularity with Venezuelan citizens as a solid reason to attack Venezuela.
I would turn that attitude back on them: Trump is unpopular in the United States. Does that provide other countries with a legal rationale to attack the United States?
Trump and his administration frame this as part of an ongoing war against ‘narco-terrorists’. They’ve not introduced any evidence to support the claims.
The true reasoning is very opaque. Trump often inspires speculation. I think it’s partly due to his established pattern of lying and his growing struggle to remain coherent.
I, with many others, often wonder: is this latest military action to distract us?
Trump has reasons to distract us. The list begins with polling, worries over the economy, and the Epstein files.
While we speculate, there’s certainly valid reasons for the speculation. As this year ends, many polls show growing disapproval for Trump, his government, and the consequences of his actions.
Trump and his administration’s behavior toward the Epstein files lends circumstantial evidence that Trump worries about the files’ contents. Delaying the release of files didn’t help. Neither does Trump’s recurring insistence the files are a ‘Democrat hoax’. Each denial increases our wonder about what the Epstein files say about him.
There’s a third pillar supporting speculation that the attack was a distraction. One, Bondi had the FBI comb through the files for content about Trump. Second, the files were heavily redacted after release. Three, a million more documents were ‘suddenly found’ and released.
Last, though, Trump continues to tout the economy as the greatest. Data doesn’t support him. One quarter showed surprisingly strong GDP growth. That doesn’t translate to Trump’s unbounded enthusiasm. Many professional forecasters project meager average GDP growth for 2025, just 1.9%. 2026 isn’t looking much better.
Job growth has been weak. Unemployment is rising.
Headline inflation isn’t sharp, but affordability worries people.
With such a weak economy and other indicators, I don’t think attacking other nations improves our situation. And that is my largest concern about Trump and the attacks.
They’re illogical, and do nothing to improve conditions in the United States.
That’s why I really wonder if they’re just distractions.
Michael Seidel, writer 
What I wonder about … and maybe this is because I’ve never paid much attention to politics overall … but what gives Trump the authority to attack Venezuela? Sure, he says it’s all about narcotics, but is just saying this reason enough? If there had been some kind of direct attack on the U.S., it might make more sense, but …
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That is one of my absolute deepest concerns. No evidence or visible structure of foreign policy on the nation’s behalf seems to be pursued. There was no buildup, just his announcement and activities. I really do see this as further manipulation by Trump’s secret handlers, the architects of Project 2025.
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Sure, it’s a distraction; everything is. But he and his unholy band (including Little Marco) seem to want to take over Latin America—the oil, the land, the leaders. Plus he’s totally nuts.
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Yep, completely, absolutely nuts and losing it more each day.
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These are some of the things I have been wondering about. For the “Peace President” he sure likes to attack other countries. Is he trying to start a war (or should I say wars?). First Iran, now Venezuela, and who is next? He has insulted or dismissed all our allies (or should I say former allies?) here and abroad. First Canada, then Greenland, the European Union, and the United Kingdom to name a few, and who is next? He’s trying to sell out Ukraine and Zelenskyy, and we don’t know the reason why. I can speculate, but who knows. The economy is in tatters despite what he says. Certainly, ordinary citizens are feeling the pinch at the grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, etc. Just because the stock market is going well right now, doesn’t mean that those citizens are investing and reaping the rewards of the stock market. They are more worried about putting food on the table, and paying for housing, gas, etc.
I do think all of this rhetoric coming out of the Orange Man’s mouth is a “Wag the Dog” situation, and a way to obfuscate what the Epstein files contain and other underhanded things he is doing. The legislative branches need to rein him in, and NOW before some other countries attack us.
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Agree wholeheartedly!
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Well put, Nan. I agree with you. His actions do not back up his words, and the resulting chaos and consequences doesn’t help anybody. Cheers
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