Trump’s Longstanding Feud With Venezuela Explained

Donald Trump shared what he claimed was the first image of a captured Nicolás Maduro, reigniting focus on his years-long standoff with Venezuela.

Transcript

00:00That is the first image of a captured Nicolas Maduro posted by Donald Trump.

00:07A move that has brought the American president's long-running

00:10feud with Venezuela back into focus.

00:12The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of a vast criminal network.

00:17This feud isn't new.

00:18For years, Trump painted Nicolas Maduro's government as a security threat,

00:22accusing it of drug trafficking, organized crimes and destabilizing the region.

00:26Using that narrative to justify hardline action.

00:28As president, Trump imposed sweeping sanctions, including a near-total oil embargo in 2019,

00:34choking Venezuela's economy.

00:36He recognized Juan Guido as interim president,

00:38froze Venezuelan state assets in the US,

00:40and cut off the Maduro government from global financial systems.

00:46He also repeatedly tied Venezuelan migrants to crime,

00:49a claim central to his immigration rhetoric and push for mass deportations.

00:52That approach resurfaced in March and April 2025,

00:55when the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798,

00:59to deport over 200 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador's CECOT mega prison,

01:04alleging links to the Trend Day Argoa Gang.

01:09The move triggered international outrage.

01:11A federal appeals court blocked the use of the wartime law,

01:14calling it improper for mass deportations.

01:16Human rights groups say many of those sent to El Salvador had no serious criminal records

01:21and were placed in a prison notorious for extreme conditions,

01:24raising alarms of a due process and international law.

01:27From sanctions and regime pressure to migrant crackdowns and mass deportations,

01:31one thing is clear, Trump has had major beef with Venezuela for years now,

01:35and the legal and diplomatic fallout is still unfolding.