A writing from a venezuelan abroad (not mine)
If you are American and you’re curious about why Trump forced Maduro out, you should read this first...
(An analysis by a Venezuelan who left Venezuela)
Because unless you are Venezuelan, you are missing almost everything that matters.
I am Venezuelan.
I left my country in 2013, when Hugo Chávez died and Nicolás Maduro took power.
I didn’t leave because I wanted to “try life abroad.”
I left because I could see what was coming, and staying meant watching my future shrink year after year.
So when Americans ask, “What do Venezuelans think about Trump forcing Maduro out of the presidency?”
Let me answer that question honestly, without slogans, without moral theater, and without pretending this is simple.
Most Venezuelans feel relief.
Not because we love Trump or because we believe the U.S. does things out of pure love for freedom.
And not because we are naïve about geopolitics, oil, or power.
We feel relief because we have lived through something Americans have never experienced: a country where nothing works, where elections don’t matter, where money stops being money, and where time itself feels broken.
Now, before someone jumps in to say “but not all Venezuelans agree,” let’s be precise.
Yes, there is a minority that doesn’t agree.
And that minority usually falls into one of three groups.
- Some were doing business with the regime.
- Some were personally comfortable inside the system and insulated from its worst consequences.
- And some were pushed into such extreme poverty that survival depended on obedience.
This last group matters, so let me explain it clearly.
Millions of Venezuelans were reduced to depending on a government-issued food box.
A box with rice, pasta, oil, sometimes expired food.
A box that arrived irregularly. A box that was used as leverage.
People were told, explicitly or implicitly: “If the government falls, this goes away.”
That is hostage psychology!
When misery reaches that level, people don’t defend the system because they believe in it.
They defend it because they are afraid of losing the only thing standing between them and hunger.
So yes, some people opposed change.
But that opposition was not free, informed, or dignified.
It was coerced by collapse.
The rest of us lived something else entirely.
Since Maduro took power back in 2013, Venezuela lost roughly 80% of its economy.
We lived through years of hyperinflation where prices didn’t rise monthly or yearly. They rose daily.
Sometimes hourly.
Salaries became meaningless. Pensions became symbolic.
Entire professions disappeared.
We protested. We marched. Thousands of people got k* and tens of thousands more were illegally incarcerated as political prisoner.
Just because they didn't like Chavez or Maduro.
We also voted because we believe in democracy.
In 2015, the regime lost parliament by a massive margin. The result was ignored.
We voted again. In 2024, the opposition won overwhelmingly, roughly 70–30. The result was ignored.
Imagine winning every swing state in the U.S. and then being told, “No.”
That is not politics.
And still, we didn’t rise in arms.
We tried to stay constitutional. Peaceful. Legal.
During all this time, around a third of the country left.
Families were torn apart.
My own father died in exile.
Children grew up without grandparents.
Entire cities aged overnight.
So when Americans say, “But foreign intervention is wrong,” understand this:
From the inside, Venezuela are already occupied by Iran, China, Cuba, Russia, who are using our beloved country as shelter for terrorism, d* trafficking, and as a foothold in American continent.
No Venezuelan I know is celebrating bombs, humiliation, or chaos.
What we are reacting to is the possibility that the lock might finally open.
We know the U.S. has interests. Oil. Minerals. Strategy. Power.
We are not children.
But we also remember a time when Venezuela was functional, prosperous, and connected to the world.
When people came to our country instead of fleeing it.
When a future didn’t feel irresponsible to imagine.
So if you are American and confused by Venezuelans celebrating, don’t ask whether they “support intervention.”
Ask what kind of suffering makes people accept risk in exchange for hope.
Because this reaction didn’t come from ideology but from exhaustion.
I want to share a new set of photographs I took in my studio for a girl who was celebrating her 15th birthday . Her mother hired my services to have professional photographs of this beautiful stage in the girl's life.
We started by taking some standing photographs with balloons. The girl was a model, so she knew how to pose and had a lot of confidence in front of the camera, which made the job much easier:
Next, I put the posing cube on the set to take some photographs of the girl seated and have more variety in the photographs:
And since they were birthday photographs, of course, we had to include the cake in the photographs!!
And then we took a couple of photographs with the girl lying on the floor. These photographs turned out very beautiful!!
I took all the photographs with my Canon R8 camera, a 50mm f/2.8 lens, and two light sources.
At the end of the photography session, we were all super happy with the results. I hope you liked them as much as we did!!
#photography #photostr
2 SUBJECTS:
In Venezuela, it is common to see people sitting outside their houses, simply talking:
Workers:
Mother and daughter, I took this photography because they were holding hands, you can tell they have a strong bond:
This man has spent his entire life selling flowers in the same place, literally next to a sidewalk with his car, and he is very famous for it. Sometimes I joke, saying that if this gentleman had invested in a physical store, he would have gone bankrupt, since his street stall is what makes him so characteristic and special:
The following photography is of another business that has also been in the same place for years. This person sells pineapples from his truck on the outskirts of the city:
The streets of my city are quite steep!
In this city, there is a sculptor who is well known because he makes his sculptures from used tires and creates incredible things like this lion. I hope to meet him one day, learn his story, and take some photographs of him:
A few days ago, I went out to try taking night photos, and I will share my 3 favorites from the most recent outing. I love the first one because it shows the night in its most everyday state, and the play of light and shadow is incredible!
The following photography is a bit "failed" on a technical level because the guy is blurry, but at the same time, I feel it expresses what was happening in that moment. While everything was still, the guy was walking very quickly while dragging an empty cart:
And the next photography is of the facade of a pharmacy with Christmas decoration, but the most important part of this photography is the woman sitting on the side. She was asking for money to buy medicine. The impressive thing is that when she saw me take the photography, the woman smiled with the best attitude!
I took all the photographs with my Canon R8 camera and a 50mm f/2.8 lens.
I hope you liked the photographs and found them as interesting as I did!
#photography #photostr
VENEZUELA 2026: THE END OF MADURO AND TRUMP’S NEW TRANSITION
(SUMMARY OF JANUARY 3)
1. CAPTURE OF MADURO AND U.S. INTERVENTION
Military operation and naval blockade. Maduro captured and transferred to the U.S. Leadership by Hegseth and Rubio.
Pete Hegseth: Secretary of War/Defense
Marco Rubio: Secretary of State
2. THE NEW POWER SCHEME: RUBIO AND DELCY
Transition controlled by the U.S. Rubio manages aid and diplomacy. Pact with Delcy Rodríguez to control the bureaucracy and avoid collapse.
3. THE DISPLACEMENT OF MARÍA CORINA MACHADO
Machado publicly sidelined by Trump to justify direct U.S. management.
Trump speech bubble: "She does not have the respect or the support of the country."
CONCLUSION
From a democratic promise to a temporary U.S. occupation/administration in alliance with a Chavista faction, leaving out the traditional opposition.
-------------------
Why that way ?
The Short Answer (the one no one wants to hear)
Because real power is still held by the armed Chavismo, not the civilian opposition.
In harsh transitions, you negotiate with the person who can start or put out the fire, not with the person who has the moral high ground.
Now, let's look at the layers 👇
1. Why is Delcy Rodríguez at the table?
Because Delcy represents three things that the U.S. needs right now:
Administrative Continuity
Ministries, PDVSA, banks, ports.
Without this, the country's operations would paralyze in days.
A Direct Channel to Hard Power
The military, intelligence services, and colectivos.
She doesn't command them, but she coordinates them.
The Ability to Deliver Results
Information, demobilization, signatures, and orders.
👉 It’s not about sympathy. It’s about utility.
2. Why NOT María Corina Machado?
This part hurts, but it is the truth:
María Corina does not control weapons.
She does not control territory.
She does not control logistics.
She cannot guarantee that there won't be violence tomorrow.
In a "clash phase," those factors weigh more than legitimacy, votes, or popular support.
Additionally (and this is key):
👉 For the hardline Chavismo, she is an existential threat. Bringing her in now blocks any immediate negotiation.
3. What about Edmundo González?
Edmundo is:
An electoral symbol.
A figure of civilian consensus.
But he is not a "power operator."
He is useful for later, not for putting out the fire.
The Real Logic (Cold but Constant)
Transitions always go through 3 phases:
🔥 PHASE 1 – Chaos Control
You negotiate with:
Those who have weapons.
Those who can unleash violence.
Those who know where the landmines are buried.
👉 This is where Delcy comes in. Not by choice, but by necessity.
🧱 PHASE 2 – Reorganization of Power
New players begin to enter:
Civilians.
Technocrats.
"Acceptable" actors.
👉 This is where Edmundo and others could enter.
🗳️ PHASE 3 – Legitimation
Only then do you have:
Elections.
María Corina.
The democratic narrative.
👉 But this happens at the end, not at the beginning.
The Emotional Error of the Venezuelan People
The belief that: "If Maduro fell, the 'good guys' are now in charge."
No.
First, those who can prevent the country from burning are in charge.
Next, those who can govern are in charge.
Finally, those who can represent are in charge.
Note: This does NOT mean María Corina is "out."
It means:
She is not the card for this play.
She is the card for the next one.
Bringing her in now would be like trying to hold elections in the middle of a forest fire.
My Strategic Reading
If the transition moves forward:
María Corina will not be the negotiator.
But she will be the legitimizer.
And likely the figure who capitalizes politically afterward.
If they remove her from the game entirely, then there is a real cause for alarm.