The Untold Story of Trump's Failed Attempt to Overthrow Venezuela's President

On September 26, 2018, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro approached the lectern astatine the United Nations General Assembly successful New York City. Hulking and mustachioed, wearing a achromatic suit and a agleam reddish tie, Maduro was successful a bilious mood.

At home, Maduro’s governmental presumption was deteriorating. The erstwhile autobus operator turned autocrat had ruled Venezuela for 5 years, and had precocious “won” reelection successful a contention wide considered to beryllium fraudulent. But helium was facing stiffer-than-expected pushback. Anti-government protests were wracking the oil-rich South American nation. Hyperinflation was obliterating its economy. More than a cardinal Venezuelans had fled, triggering a hemispheric exile crisis.

For immoderate time, the Trump medication had been moving furiously to propulsion Maduro—an state of Cuba and Russia—out of power. In fact, then-president Donald Trump had adjacent mused publically astir exercising “a imaginable subject option, if necessary,” to woody with Venezuela. The time earlier Maduro’s General Assembly address, Trump stood astatine the aforesaid UN podium, called the concern successful Venezuela a “human tragedy,” and decried the “suffering, corruption, and decay” wrought by communist and socialist regimes. The US president past announced the imposition of caller sanctions against members of Maduro’s interior circle.

When Maduro began his UN address, helium was raring to punch back. His state was the “victim of a imperishable aggression” by the “imperial” United States, helium said. Venezuela’s effort astatine geopolitical independence—and immense golden and petroleum reserves—had aroused the ire and avarice of the “oligarchies of the continent and those who predominate from Washington,” helium added.

Maduro’s harangue got darker. He claimed that a caller effort connected his life—two drones had exploded during an code helium was giving outdoors successful Caracas—had been masterminded by shadowy actors from wrong the United States. (Trump medication officials publically denied immoderate relation successful the drone onslaught and a dissident subordinate of the Venezuelan service aboriginal claimed responsibility.) In caller days, Maduro had adjacent said helium was considering skipping the UN gathering altogether, due to the fact that helium was disquieted astir an assassination attempt.

As bitter adversaries, the Trump medication and Maduro authorities didn’t hold on, well, anything. Except for the information that the US authorities wanted Maduro gone.

After that UN meeting, the Trump medication amped up its efforts astir the satellite to isolate and depose the Venezuelan leader, including by levying further punishing sanctions against his regime. Much of that diplomatic maneuvering played retired successful public. But the medication besides enactment into question another, precise overmuch concealed prong to the US’s regime-change campaign: a covert CIA-run inaugural to assistance overthrow the Venezuelan strongman.