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MaddowBlog-After striking Nigeria, Trump pushes dubious claim about targeting Venezuelan facility
If you voted for Trump because you expected restraint on foreign policy and the use of military force abroad, I have some bad news for you
It’s no small thing that Trump told the public last week that he ordered a military strike on a target on Venezuelan soil, and we have no idea whether he made that up. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-29T14:04:02.693Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/after-striking-nigeria-trump-pushes-dubious-claim-about-targeting-venezuelan-facility
Donald Trump has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he intends to start ordering military strikes on targets inside Venezuela, which made it all the more notable on Friday when the president said he’d already done exactly that.
The trouble is, there’s some uncertainty surrounding the existence of the operation.,,.
But while we’re left to wonder whether the sitting American president bragged about a foreign U.S. military strike that may or may not have happened, there’s far greater clarity about a foreign U.S. military strike that definitely happened. My MS NOW colleague Nicholas Grossman reported:
To be sure, the operation didn’t come out of nowhere. The Republican declared in early November that he was prepared to go into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” in response to conditions on the ground that he didn’t seem to fully understand.....
For those keeping score, as 2025 nears its end, Trump this year has launched preemptive military strikes on targets in Iran, initiated a bombing campaign in Yemen, targeted ISIS sites in Syria, launched a bombing operation in Nigeria, struck ISIS targets in Somalia, and launched at least 29 deadly strikes on civilian boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.
It’s possible that he also “knocked out” a facility on Venezuela, though it’s also possible he just made that up....
For good measure, it’s worth noting for context that the American president has also announced his desire to annex Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal and the Gaza Strip, and spoken publicly about possibly returning U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
The trouble is, there’s some uncertainty surrounding the existence of the operation.,,.
But while we’re left to wonder whether the sitting American president bragged about a foreign U.S. military strike that may or may not have happened, there’s far greater clarity about a foreign U.S. military strike that definitely happened. My MS NOW colleague Nicholas Grossman reported:
The United States military bombed Nigeria on Christmas, reportedly targeting ISIS militants. President Donald Trump claimed the U.S. struck terrorists ‘who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries.’
Nigeria has been plagued by sectarian violence, but that violence hasn’t primarily targeted Christians — and certainly not at historically unprecedented levels. America’s logic here isn’t clear, but the strikes appear driven more by Trump putting on a show for his evangelical base than trying to reduce violence in Nigeria or even advance U.S. national interests.
To be sure, the operation didn’t come out of nowhere. The Republican declared in early November that he was prepared to go into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” in response to conditions on the ground that he didn’t seem to fully understand.....
For those keeping score, as 2025 nears its end, Trump this year has launched preemptive military strikes on targets in Iran, initiated a bombing campaign in Yemen, targeted ISIS sites in Syria, launched a bombing operation in Nigeria, struck ISIS targets in Somalia, and launched at least 29 deadly strikes on civilian boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.
It’s possible that he also “knocked out” a facility on Venezuela, though it’s also possible he just made that up....
For good measure, it’s worth noting for context that the American president has also announced his desire to annex Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal and the Gaza Strip, and spoken publicly about possibly returning U.S. troops to Afghanistan.