Trump's tutelage over Venezuela clashes with the tragedy of the earthquake

WashingtonThe last time U.S. boots set foot in Venezuela was on January 3rd in the early morning to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro and steer the country towards a kind of U.S. protectorate. Now, half a year later, the U.S. army returns to Caracas to conduct rescue operations in the face of the devastating earthquake that has claimed the lives of at least 1,430 people and left nearly 4,000 injured. The tragedy marks an unforeseen turn in the tutelage that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to exercise over the country to plunder its oil.

U.S. Marine Corps General Kevin J. Jarrad arrived in Venezuela on Friday morning to coordinate and lead rescue teams and assist in the most complicated areas. The general's arrival is just a small part of the entire deployment Washington has made to mitigate the damage of the tragedy: the U.S. administration has announced the mobilization of 150 million dollars in assistance, and has sent planes and ships from Southern Command. Furthermore, it has also lifted some sanctions that it still maintained against the country. Aid that is now channeled through the State Department, after Trump dismantled the humanitarian cooperation agency, USAID, last year.

Beyond the humanitarian tragedy and the importance of the first hours to find survivors among the rubble, the large-scale U.S. response is not alien to the geopolitical interests of the Trump administration. The double earthquake tests the return of the Monroe Doctrine – renamed the Donroe Doctrine – which the Republican is so fond of in this second term and with which he wants to regain influence over Latin America. Providing a quick and effective response is key in the propaganda and pressure campaign that Washington is orchestrating in the region to discredit left-wing governments. Promises of prosperity for those countries that align with its agenda are currently being evaluated amidst the rubble of Venezuela and in the subsequent reconstruction.

The firm commitment of the U.S. administration and the abundant resources mobilized towards Venezuela confirm Washington's tutelage over the new executive headed by Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro's second-in-command before the coup. When Myanmar suffered a magnitude 7.7 earthquake last year, very similar to the two tremors that have affected the Latin American country, Trump promised only nine million dollars.

The willingness to pour resources into alleviating the suffering of Venezuelans also responds to the administration's economic agenda and plans to accelerate the country's oil industry for its own benefit. Secretary of State and architect of the decapitation of the Chavista regime, Marco Rubio, acknowledged on Thursday that the natural disaster represents a "setback" in the plan to reactivate the country's economy and hold democratic elections there. "These are things you don't plan for," Rubio said.

Economic prosperity also trembles

Since Washington deposed Maduro as the main interlocutor at the head of the country, Trump has been pressuring both Rodríguez and foreign oil companies to get to work. The Republican has been courting oil giants like Exxon and Chevron to embark on his plan to rebuild old infrastructure for extracting Venezuelan crude.

Many companies have shown reluctance towards the plan due to the lack of security guarantees and the high investment the venture entails. Approximately, building an oil treatment plant costs between 20,000 and 30,000 million dollars. Now, with the damage caused by the earthquake, the initial investment will certainly increase by a few million dollars.

Venezuela's economic growth during the first three months of this year fell to its lowest quarterly rate since 2021, a stark contrast to the economic boom narrative that Trump touts from the White House. The post-earthquake scenario, with all the debris cleanup and reconstruction tasks, further muddies the narrative of prosperity with which the president wants to justify military intervention within the country.