History As It Happens – Special Ep: Trump, Kidnapping Maduro, and Venezuela's Oil

Host: Martin Di Caro
Guest: Historian Alex Aviña
Date: January 3, 2026

Overview

This special breaking news episode analyzes the unprecedented U.S. military operation in Venezuela, where President Donald Trump ordered the capture and abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Host Martin Di Caro is joined by historian Alex Aviña to discuss the deeper historical, political, and economic contexts behind the assault, focusing especially on U.S. interventionism, the real motives behind the action, and its likely consequences for Venezuela and the wider Latin American region.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Event: U.S. Capture of Maduro ([01:00]-[03:51])

• Early January 3, 2026: News breaks that U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro.
• Trump lauds the operation's scale, calling it a display of "overwhelming American military power... an assault like people have not seen since World War II." ([01:19]-[01:51])
• The action involved U.S. special forces abducting Maduro and his wife in their residence, placing them on a U.S. warship en route to New York.

Key Quote

"I'm shocked that they actually put in special forces into Venezuela to do really unprecedented action in abducting the president of a sovereign nation and his wife... capturing them in their bedroom."
— Alex Aviña ([03:51])

2. Context: Patterns of U.S. Intervention ([05:05]-[07:24])

• While U.S. interventions in Latin America are not new, the direct kidnapping of a sitting leader is unprecedented, even compared to the Panama invasion of 1989.
• Historian Aviña stresses the difference: Panama involved a large invasion and explicit charges; Venezuela saw a targeted special forces operation under "war on terror logics."
• Trump threatens a "much larger attack" if Venezuela's government does not comply. ([07:03])

Key Quote

"This is about US Power, US Hegemony and control in Latin America, a region where China has made major economic inroads..."
— Martin Di Caro ([02:53])

Memorable Trump Segment

"We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so... we actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary. But now it's probably not."
— Donald Trump ([07:03])

3. Comparisons to Panama and Questionable Justifications ([07:24]-[09:43])

• Trump’s legal team referenced the 1989 Panama Memo (justifying Noriega's capture) to support the Venezuela operation.
• Aviña notes that, unlike Noriega, there’s scant evidence linking Maduro to drug trafficking. The case against Maduro is based on an "imaginary cartel."
• U.S. claims rest on a shaky legal and factual foundation.
• Significant difference: Noriega’s crimes were well-documented, often in tandem with U.S. interests; Maduro's supposed drug links lack such evidence.

Key Quote

"As we've discussed before, the evidence that they've presented against Maduro as the head of a non existent drug cartel is really shady. ... this Cartel de los does not exist."
— Alex Aviña ([08:06])

4. Oil, Power, and Regime Change Ambitions ([09:43]-[14:04])

• The root motivation is not "democracy" or drugs, but Venezuela’s oil reserves and strategic position.
• U.S. sanctions (started under Obama and intensified under Trump) destabilized Venezuela’s economy, particularly its oil industry.
• The opposition leader, Machado, has openly promoted Venezuela as a $1.7 trillion business opportunity to U.S. interests.

Key Quotes

"We know it's not about democracy. ... It's really about the oil and US power."
— Martin Di Caro ([09:43])

"[Sanctions] created an economic disaster in Venezuela two or three times worse than the US National Depression of the 1920s and 1930s."
— Alex Aviña ([14:04])

5. Nationalization, Sovereignty, and the Latin American Context ([16:08]-[17:39])

• Venezuela’s oil industry was nationalized in 1976, echoing a broader Latin American trend toward resource sovereignty (e.g., Mexico in 1930s, Chile in the 1970s).
• Aviña draws a parallel with Guatemala in the 1950s, where U.S. overthrew a government that dared nationalize unused agricultural land from United Fruit, noting today's echoes in U.S. policy.

Key Insights

• Nationalization often prompted U.S. intervention not only for economic interests but to prevent local models that challenged the "U.S. vision" for the hemisphere.

Key Quote

"It was both the agrarian reform program ... that instigated US intervention ... but it was also the idea that Guatemala was exercising this national and economic sovereignty ... and that the U.S. saw as some sort of intolerable insult."
— Alex Aviña ([17:39])

6. Fallout, Regional Risk, and the Monroe Doctrine Redux ([19:13]-[23:09])

• Uncertainty and risk: U.S. intelligence assessments suggest the toppling of Maduro could lead to violent chaos and mass migration.
• Potential for massive refugee flows, instability in neighboring countries, and repercussions within U.S. politics (especially among South Florida Venezuelan exiles).
• Oil companies might benefit, but only if stability can be ensured; lessons are drawn from post-2003 Iraq.
• Trump references reviving the "Monroe Doctrine" (although awkwardly calls it the "Donro document"), signaling a return to explicit hemispheric dominance as U.S. policy ([22:22]).

Notable Quotes

"If they actually do a second wave and they put American boots on the ground, it's going to be a catastrophic situation, obviously, for Venezuelans."
— Alex Aviña ([19:59])

"All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy dating back more than two centuries ... The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donro document. I don't know."
— Donald Trump ([22:22])

"That augurs something really dark for the entire region, not just Venezuela."
— Alex Aviña ([22:52])

Important Segments and Timestamps

• Breaking news and Trump speech: [01:00] – [01:51]
• Initial reactions & unprecedented nature: [03:51] – [05:19]
• Comparisons to Panama & legal justification: [07:24] – [09:43]
• Discussion of oil, sanctions, and U.S. interests: [09:43] – [14:04]
• History of nationalizations in Latin America: [16:08] – [17:39]
• Risks, chaos, and lessons from history: [19:13] – [21:42]
• Trump’s “Donro Doctrine” moment: [22:22] – [22:52]

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Aviña’s shock:
  "Put in special forces...to kidnap the president of Venezuela—it's a shock to me, man." ([03:51])

• On the operation vs. Panama:
  "It was something much more... war on terror logics, by using the type of soldiers that are stationed at Fort Bragg." ([05:19])

• On the manufactured justification:
  "The evidence against Maduro is much shakier... this Cartel de los does not exist." ([08:06])

• On sanctions:
  "According to reporting... sanctions created an economic disaster in Venezuela two or three times worse than the US national depression..." ([14:04])

• On wider regional threat:
  "Any country that is going to represent some level of challenge... they're going to get the Venezuela treatment. He's already threatening Mexico and... Cuba." ([17:39])

• On massive regional impact:
  "They're hell bent on implementing a foreign policy in the Americas that foments more refugees and more undocumented migration to the United States." ([19:59])

• Trump’s awkward ‘Doctrine’ remark:
  "They now call it the Donro document. I don't know." ([22:22])

Conclusion

Martin Di Caro and Alex Aviña provide a timely, in-depth exploration of the historical forces and realpolitik motivations behind the U.S. assault on Venezuela. While the operation may seem shocking, it fits a long pattern of U.S. interventions in Latin America, driven chiefly by resources and power, not democracy or anti-drug efforts. The precedent set and Trump’s invocation of a 21st-century “Monroe Doctrine” signal broad dangers ahead for regional sovereignty, stability, and U.S.-Latin American relations. As Aviña cautions, the situation is fraught with risks, with unpredictable fallout for Venezuela and potentially for the hemisphere at large.