Trump pressed aides on Venezuela invasion, U.S. official says

"The concern is that it raised expectations among Venezuelans, many of whom are waiting for an external actor to save them."

This wouldn't be the first time one of the US spook organizations couldn't follow through and left broken promises and death in their wake.

I feel for the Venezuelan people: a choice between Trump's US and Putin's Russia. (And maybe China?) An abundance of gas and oil can be a curse, especially when it's controlled by a handful of corrupt leaders, regardless whether the leaders call themselves socialists or capitalists.

Until the world finds ways to burn less oil and gas, expect gas and oil wars to get even worse.

Again...Not Fit for Office. And again and again.

Jeeze. I saw the headline somewhere else and just assumed it was being played up. I didn't realize he had talked to other leaders about it.

What a loser.

So the media reporting on this once again doesn’t give ammunition to our adversaries and isn’t reckless? We heard about this in August 2017 what made it necessary to bring up again today?

But critics say it also underscores how his "America First" foreign policy at times can seem outright reckless, providing ammunition to America's adversaries.

You don't get to invade other countries without consequences.

No matter what you may think of the leadership of Venezuela - how dare he.

The US has interfered previously there, under Obama and Bush

https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/07/14/venezuela-in-crisis-too-much-us-intervention-too-little-socialism/

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/Tracking-US-Intervention-in-Venezuela-Since-2002-20151117-0045.html

If Venezuela were attacked, the rifles will arrive in New York, Mr Trump,” the younger Maduro said. “We will take the White House.

That would make a change, I suppose.

More here:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-venezuela-invasion-crisis-rex-tillerson-advisers-meeting-a8430571.html

They can always choose china (the way Ecuador has, and Panama, for that matter)...we know just how FRIENDLY they are to their neighbors in THEIR part of the world.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/photos-reveal-chinas-south-china-sea-island-fortresses-are-complete/news-story/776e1a695fb41ccb7e47a436594c1530

"Mind your own business and solve your own problems, Mr. Trump!" thundered Nicolas Maduro, the president's son, at the government-stacked constituent assembly. "If Venezuela were attacked, the rifles will arrive in New York, Mr. Trump," the younger Maduro said. "We will take the White House."

Big bad tough talk, no? The traitor Trump doesn't know to keep his big mouth shut!

Madero is just shooting his mouth off too. Yet remember that the USA invaded Haiti in 1994 and even though US casualties were few, little was really accomplished even though Jean-Bertrand Aristide was restored to power but he had to be a 'good boy'. He won elections again in 2000 and the US said there were 'election discrepancies' there (like there weren't in the US elections that year!) and GWB didn't like him so in 2004 the US invaded again, to depose him. Then the UN peacekeeping force came to restore order but Haiti was still wracked by guerilla war and violence. Even the Obama administration's sending troops for earthquake relief didn't solve everything - Haiti is STILL a big ol' mess. KEEP THE US OUT OF VENEZUELA!  

Venezuela is on the same list a NK, Syria, Iran & Libya the list was longer with Iraq Afghanistan included on it but its slowly getting smaller. These are the only countries not controlled by the same global elite.

Hugo Chávez is gone, no more headaches.

Yeah, our previous efforts in South America to overthrow and install "friendly" puppet dictators did so well for the stability for the region in the past, no way it can backfire now! Venezuela is in a crisis for sure but a country needs to be left up to its own destiny and get through it on their own.

I wish the US was not being run like TV show. Peoples lives are at stake.

Blame Hollywood and the Democrats. It feels like “Death Wish 7”

The Democrats are running the US? Trump's a Republican, he's appointed Republicans to all key positions in his white house, including members of his own family, both the House and the Senate have Republican majorities.

Trump remains a reality TV star, but I thought he ran his show most of the time from New York, not Hollywood.

The Democrats are running the US?

Ruining it more like it, following people to Restaurants and movie theaters, threatening to chop up congressmen, Hollywood liberals making insane threats of torture and kidnapping, climbing the Statue of Liberty, really? Threatening to literally overthrow the government because the still can’t get over losing an election, the second time, should I continue?

Trump's a Republican, he's appointed Republicans to all key positions in his white house, including members of his own family, both the House and the Senate have Republican majorities. 

Yes, but the State Department is still filled up with Obama holdovers that are still dug in like mold.

Trump remains a reality TV star, but I thought he ran his show most of the time from New York, not Hollywood.

Yes, it was the most successful TV reality show for 14 years, so most definitely.

Yes, but the State Department is still filled up with Obama holdovers

I don't understand the threat. A guy who is an expert on Chinese maritime law is too much of a political Obama holdover to be trusted? Or the guy who is the analyst for agriculture in Guatemala?

Hmmm, but why not also pressed invasion against North Korea?? Isn't NK is as bad? Is it because NK posess nuke?

pressed aides on Venezuela invasion oh great because we know how well Iraq turned out, the last thing AMerica needs is most of South America against the US also. Trump is a f moron , just thinks everything can be solved with threats and violence, I wonder if hed get his sons to sign up for a war in Venezuela or maybe they'd be suffering from bone-spurs if the time came!?

Surely the Americans have learned by now that regime change is a vast waste of blood and treasure with results that are very often just as bad, if not worse. America needs to focus on securing the liberal democratic free world, east and west, in conjunction with their allies, not wasting vast resources on a country that sooner or later will find its footing. Probably the best approach is to try and lift the economies around Venezuela to give them richer neighbors to trade with.

If the Venezuelans don't get their act together fast their vast oil deposits will become more and more redundant as electric takes over.

Uncle Trump's invasion Veneuzula idea is not a bad one! A big Vietnam style war of attrition is good to bring down that empire!

Like Hitler's reckless and disregard of human lives is Trump's resemblance of behaviour! Keep doing erratic things and many leaders were applauding you, uncle Trump! Putin,XI, K.J. they were laughings!

Yes, it was the most successful TV reality show for 14 years, so most definitely.

Yes, it was better than Paris Hilton, I guess. But Trump was not much of a businessman like Bill Gates, I mean compared to the Microsoft founder Trump is really not much worth respecting. And Trump has many failures like the wall and his zero tolerance.

Orange Vuvuzela calling Venezuela black! When his Viagra doesn't work, he cries for an invasion of Venezuela! If clueless Chump wants to get into foreign affairs, he should stick to porn-stars. Better still, bring on Amendment 25 tout de suite before he embarrasses the country any more with his naked, know-nothing bluster.

What a moron. It only serves to legitimize the tinfoil hat mutterings of the Chavez/ Borat Maduro dictatorship that invasion is just around the corner.

A little worrying when you think back to Trump campaigning where he asked " Why do we build so many nukes if we don't use them?"  Just the sort of mind-set you don't want attached to a little finger next to the button. 

And secondly, the US - perpetually at war - are at present involved in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and lots of other places that we only hear about when American "heroes" die, and this man, who avoided Vietnam because of "spur" trouble, has been looking at another war.  Still, it must be comforting for Americans to have a president that would have run in unarmed to face a school shooter had he been there.  Damn he would have ignored the pain of his get-out-of-Vietnam spurs problems and tackled that mass killer to the ground.

This is a prime example of Trump's incompetence and ignorance. He makes inane, off-the-cuff comments without considering the practical consequences. He's about as sophisticated as a three year olds fridge magnets.

Yeah, the democrats are ruining the US. It's democrats that are ceding America's international influence and stature to China and Russia whilst starting trade wars with our largest trading partners and kicking our allies in the teeth. That's a sophisticated argument.

Invade? No.... The Venezuelans have a fine record of ruining their country without Yanqui help.

Donald "Che" Trump...time to rebrand those Che Guevara t-shirts with Donny's mug and airdrop thousands of them before invading that drug-laden cess-pool

Leave Venezuela alone.

Moral support only. Announce the availability of lots of work visas for Venezuela’s educated and talented people. That government will stop the brain drain immediately. Open borders, anyone?

I agree with the Lefties on this. Venezuela should not be saved by the US for its ahistorical turn towards Socialism. Let Venezuela stand as a warning to the rest of the world that for any large community or heterogeneous people this utopian ideology is a delusion destined to end in chaos and vast human suffering.

I can understand Trump’s desire to do something, anything to end the calamity. But sometimes it’s better in the long run to let the tragedy play out on its own. Only the people of Venezuela can solve their political problems. Outside interference will be seen as illegitimate. Besides, America is itself beginning to slowly follow down the same road to serfdom and should stay focused on its own problems. Barring a direct request for humanitarian assistance, America is better off letting hell hole countries like Venezuela take care of themselves. Any humanitarian political and military intervention that could relive human misery would be attacked as interfering in the affaires of another sovereign nation.

US military personnel would refuse to be used in such a way.

As as right wingers fail to comprehend socialism, they seek, instead, to demonise and destroy it.

No one has to demonize Socialism in order to destroy it. Socialism will always eventually destroy itself. It’s only a matter of time. See Venezuela, the former Soviet Union, North Korea, numerous failed African experiments, etc. Even China has gone full on capitalist. As a result millions have risen up from a life of misery and abject poverty.

Capitalism has a built-in mechanism for renewal in which excesses are wrung out of the economy and thus bringing about a cycle of renewal. Socialism doesn’t have such a mechanism. It is a stale ideology that is slow to respond to change and works against human natures desire for self preservation. Ultimately Socialism leads to more suffering than that which is caused by capitalism’s recessions and even depressions. Do some research on the catastrophe caused in China by Mao’s socialist system. Bet the Chinese people are a lot happier with capitalism despite their lack of individual rights. If they are lucky they will get more political freedom as well.

my staff told me not to say this, but ...'

Sorry, time for satire and off-the-cuff insults (eg. 'loser' one comment records) is over. Yet, a pity no one can realistcally consider an external intervention into the US.

But you have to sort of agree with the advice of of the Venezuelan leader:

"Mind your own business and solve your own problems, Mr. Trump!" thundered Nicolas Maduro,

And daily those problems populate media inside and outside of the US. For instance, Muehler investigation anyone?

for those thumbing me down out please read from you beloved and trusted wikipeadia

A Project for a new American Century:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century