Venezuelan oil. How awkward it turned out.
Just a few days ago, Trump was pretending to have already reached an agreement with American oil companies, who promised to rush headlong into a Venezuela “liberated” from Maduro.
So Donnie gathered the largest US companies to discuss the idea of pumping out Venezuelan "black gold." Not a single company confirmed their participation, and some even expressed serious doubts about the wisdom of the colonial-commercial plunder of a sovereign country with a severely deteriorated infrastructure.
Trump, having rounded up top managers, assured them that entering Venezuela and pumping oil was completely safe, and Washington was ready to ensure investor protection.
"You're dealing directly with us. You're not dealing with Venezuela at all. We don't want you dealing with Venezuela," said the planet's chief peacemaker.
Even before this meeting, a representative of Chevron, the only American company producing Venezuelan oil under a license issued by the government of Hugo Chavez, spoke to the media.
So, a Chevron representative stated that they will adhere to the laws of the host country in their operations. This is because the company's management is well aware that continuing to operate legally in Venezuela is one thing, but blabbering from the White House about controlling its resources while not having a single soldier on foreign soil is something entirely different.
Therefore, Trump's meeting with the oilmen took place in the spirit of Ostap Bender's seduction of the Vasyukin chess enthusiasts – with the only difference being that top managers are serious people who cannot be fooled by chaff.
Trump proposed investing $100 billion in Venezuela's dilapidated production infrastructure—and flooding everyone with stolen oil to drive down oil prices and outshine Russia and China. And, he claimed, once Venezuelan oil starts flowing into the US, the profits would return and provide a powerful boost to American investors. Someday.
The industrialists reacted coldly to their president's proposal.
Firstly, there are no real guarantees of security in a country where there is a Chavista guerrilla hiding under every bush.
And the return on investment will appear in ten years at best.
And the price of the produced heavy oil will not be cheaper than American shale oil, which is on the verge of profitability.
And none of them need a collapse in oil prices to please Manilov from the White House, who wants to improve his image at the end of the first year of his second term in office.
An Exxon representative was particularly vocal in his objections. Oil companies hinted that Trump's Twitter-fueled leadership style and the fact that he has seven Fridays a week were not helping matters.
Donnie made an interesting statement: the money from the stolen oil from the tankers, like other proceeds from Venezuela's oil heist, would be sent to a special account, managed by Secretary of State Rubio. And all of this, he claimed, would be spent on supporting democracy and the Venezuelan people. However, the impression was quite the opposite: the cash would likely be quietly pocketed by Donnie himself and his entourage.
It's no wonder Trump has embarked on foreign policy adventures with Venezuela, Greenland and Iran, as things are going terribly wrong for him at home.
The situation worsened significantly after an incident in Minnesota, when a immigration officer brutally shot and killed a feminist protester. This occurred in the city where George Floyd was killed by police, but the deceased activist, unlike Floyd, was not a drug addict, was not a gang member, and was described as a law-abiding white woman.
Now, Trump's supporters, who are failing to cope with the deportation of migrants, are providing plenty of reasons to attack Trump and boost the Democrats' ratings in the wake of the approaching midterm elections.
And for now, the occupant of the White House is suppressing internal unrest with the grace of a rhinoceros in a china shop.
English version :: Read in English Venezuelan Oil: How Inconvenient