Trump administration asking US oil industry to return to Venezuela -- but getting no takers

[highplainsdem]

Source: Politico

The Trump administration is asking U.S. oil companies if they’re interested in returning to Venezuela once leader Nicolás Maduro is gone, four people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO.

And so far, the answer is a hard “no.”

The administration’s outreach to the industry, previously unreported, is the latest sign the White House is dreaming of a post-Maduro future for Venezuela — and how the world’s oil markets are both helping and hindering that goal.

The markets, glutted with supply and with prices at nearly five-year lows, are giving President Donald Trump an unusually free hand to tighten military pressure on the South American OPEC member, much the way they largely shrugged off U.S. and Israeli missile strikes on Iran in June. But those prices are also way too low to entice companies to take the risk of pouring huge investments into the crumbling Venezuelan oil facilities that former strongman Hugo Chávez seized decades ago, industry officials and analysts said.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/17/trump-oil-venezuela-return-00695292

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There go Trump's Christmas dreams of oil company bribes...

[SheltieLover]

1. Good!

[underpants]

2. He's an idiot.

[Klarkashton]

3. What goddamn asshole was bending his ear about this gripe?

He isn't coming up with this shit by himself

[Bayard]

4. Once Maduro is gone

He's acting like its a done deal.

[House of Roberts]

5. The oil companies burned their bridges in Venezuela.

Last time the PEOPLE threw them out with an election. They don't want to take that chance again.

[marble falls]

6. The oil companies don't want the oil fields. They don't want to maintain wells, be exposed to some future eco laws ...

... calling for compensation and culpability. What they want is the oil. They don't care what the price is because everything needs energy, they'll pay the price. I think he's going for regime change. What happens when US military kicks the Bear's butt again?

All I can think is the remaining Epstein cache has him eating himself inside to out.

[Wiz Imp]

7. The oil companies may well change their minds someday, but for now

and the forseeable future, they will not have any interest in Venezuela because there is absolutely no chance of it being profitable any time soon, and a huge chance of it being a disaster for them.

[AZJonnie]

8. Lack of profitability is one part, but there's also the fact that they don't trust Trump to shut his trap

about their offers to move into Venezuela if he takes care of the Maduro problem.

Unlike with Iraq, the public didn't recently suffer through a 9/11. Venezuela isn't largely populated by Muslims. And despite Trump's weak WMD bullshit, Fentanyl is not a WMD and anyone who's not swinging off Trump's sack will tell you that. And, with Iraq there was at least semi-credible threat of real WMD's (which most people knew was bullshit, but they *did* have some at one point, at least).

Trump has none of that to his advantage. Thus, if say Chevron were to tell agents of Trump that were ready to move in once Maduro is gone, and THEN Trump sent in the military, which for all they know, he might? Trump would probably tell the world "CHEVRON'S READY TO MOVE IN NOW!" because he's a dipshit and an asshole. That will make the entire world think Trump attacked Venezuela for the benefit of US oil companies, with NOOO viable excuses like 9/11, Muslims, Terrorists, WMD's, etc. No cover whatsoever.

The world would be furious at any oil company they find out colluded in advance with Trump on any strong military action against Venezuela. Apart from drone strikes on fishermen, I mean. And these oil execs know it.

If they were interested in setting up shop extracting the oil after regime change, they would logically calculate its much smarter to tell Trump "no thanks, buddy!" for now, keep their noses clean. Then after Trump does the deed, appear to be moving in as an "effect" of what Trump did, not a "cause".

[cstanleytech]

9. Seems none of the companies are interested in sticking their necks out to publicly back an invasion......yet.

Time will tell if any of them decide to do so.

[truthisfreedom]

10. He can't do math.

In 2015 we had 400,000 plug-in electrics on the road in the US. Now we have 7,000,000 and there’s only going to be more made, with half of all new cars sold being electric by 2030, just a few short years off. What we need is charging stations, not more oil. He’s a fucking dinosaur.

[Javaman]

11. even those right wing pricks know this is a shit show. nt