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President Trump’s decision to have U.S forces attack Venezuela and capture president Nicolás Maduro was one of the most radical of his administration, says Elizabeth Saunders, a Columbia University political science professor who specializes in American foreign policy. While the U.S. has deposed leaders abroad before, particularly in Latin America, Saunders argues that Trump’s actions in Venezuela are alarming because the president does not appear to be taking much guidance from Congress, the American public, or even his own advisers. Saunders says she was surprised by the decision to capture Maduro and even more so by Trump declaring that the U.S. would now essentially run Venezuela. Saunders argues that this invasion was driven more by the individual goals and priorities of Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the president himself than simply a U.S. desire to grab Venezuela’s oil reserves.
