U.S. brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela, Interior Secretary Burgum says

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: CNBC

Energy

U.S. brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela, Interior Secretary Burgum says

Published Wed, Mar 25 202 612:11 PM EDT Updated Wed, Mar 25 20261:35 PM EDT
Spencer Kimball

Key Points
* The Trump administration brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela for U.S. refiners, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said.
* Burgum traveled to Venezuela earlier this month with oil and mining executives.
* The U.S. sees a major opportunity to invest in the country’s mining sector, Burgum said.


Doug Burgum, US secretary of the interior, at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, US, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
F. Carter Smith | Bloomberg | Getty Images

HOUSTON — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Wednesday that the U.S. recently brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela.

Burgum visited Venezuela with oil and mining executives earlier this month to meet with interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

“There hadn’t been a shipment of precious metals between Venezuela and America in over 20 years,” Burgum told energy executives at S&P Global’s CERAWeek conference in Houston.

“At the end of the two days, we were able to bring home $100 million of gold — physically, the gold,” the Interior secretary said. U.S. refiners will use the gold for commercial and consumer purposes, he said.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/25/venezuela-gold-burgum-trump-rodriguez-maduro.html

---

Reposted by Much Larger And Harder Popehat
https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social

*******
Aaron Rupar
‪@atrupar.com‬

We invaded Venezuela, kidnapped their leader and installed a puppet, and are now pillaging the country's resources just like the fascists in the 1930s did, and somehow this has already been normalized and isn't being treated as the crime it is

U.S. brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela, Interior Secretary Burgum says
The Interior secretary said Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, wants foreign investment in the country's mining sector.
www.cnbc.com
2:22 PM · Mar 25, 2026
*******

We invaded Venezuela, kidnapped their leader and installed a puppet, and are now pillaging the country's resources just like the fascists in the 1930s did, and somehow this has already been normalized and isn't being treated as the crime it is

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-25T18:22:24.837Z

[LakeVermilion]

1. I have doubts that it will be deposited into the United States Treasury...

If it is put into our treasury, I expect they brought back $500 million.

[erronis]

3. Well, the peeResident, his family and friends all need to get presents, don't they?

Sounds like what the Spaniards and Portuguese and English and Dutch and ... did to the Americas back in the middle of the last millennia (1500-1700). Plunder, kill, destroy.

So much for the advancement of civilization.

[markodochartaigh]

12. From the article:

"The Trump administration brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela for U.S. refiners, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said."

"U.S. refiners will use the gold for commercial and consumer purposes, he said."

It sounds like the theft of the gold was for "US" companies. I doubt that they will pay taxes on it.

"The U.S. sees a major opportunity to invest in the country’s mining sector, Burgum said."

"That's a nice mining sector you got there. Be a shame if something was to happen to it. Maybe you oughta think about taking on a partner who could protect you. Say 90-10 split. Protection don't come cheap."

[vapor2]

27. I thought 47 said the money was going into his offshore account

Just not believing this lie

[walkingman]

2. Boy, we are a classy bunch aren't we....

[Roy Rolling]

4. Thieves

Bunch of grifters and common criminals.

[Mysterian]

5. The USA is a failed, criminal, terroristic state

I can't believe this has happened in my lifetime. The republican party has become totally evil.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. Didn't they call that stealing back in the day?

[angrychair]

7. We. Are. The. Bad. Guys.

This. Is. The. Bad. Place.

I hate this country so much

[jmbar2]

8. Wonder if there's any connection to Russia liquidating gold reserves?

[lapfog_1]

28. 100,000,000 gold

is around 50 25LB bars

1250 pounds. 20,000 1 ounce coins.

I suspect the russian liquidation has more to do with Russia's wealth fund going broke.

Of course, lifting sanctions and $105 / brl oil will also fix up Putin's economic woes.

Why did we start a war in Iran??? gee

[Seinan Sensei]

9. There's something about Doug Burgum

That boy just ain’t right

[BeneteauBum]

10. For the narcissist's 3" gold coin?

Featuring the orange creature bent over the Resolute desk! Oh for a broom handle!

Peace ☮️

[Ritabert]

11. I doubt any of it will be used to pay down the debt

[markodochartaigh]

13. The article says that the gold is for companies.

n/t

[durablend]

19. "Trumpco"

[Deminpenn]

32. Hope these companies know they'll have to pay it back

at some point.

[FakeNoose]

14. Chump will gladly trade his worthless bitcoins for the real gold from Venezuela

In fact, there's a good chance he's already done it!

[Wiz Imp]

15. The leader of Venezuela is not a puppet.

She was the Vice President under Maduro and she has called for Maduro's return. She definitely doesn't agree with Trump's policies. But for now, she is appeasing Trump somewhat to keep the job and allow the government to reorganize before strongly standing up to Trump.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn87rv0jdy1o

Under pressure from Trump, Venezuela's new president has aces up her sleeve
A luminous outline of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores loomed over Caracas against the night sky in January. The steady light of hundreds of drones in a show put on by the government in Venezuela, suspended their image in front of the clouds, before rearranging to call for their return: "El pueblo los reclama," they spelled out, "the people want them back".

After a lightning operation by the US to spirit the deposed president and his wife out of the country on 3 January, Venezuela has found itself in limbo.

Despite Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president and now acting Venezuelan leader, calling for the return of Maduro and Flores, there are no signs that's going to happen. The former first couple are in New York in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial for alleged crimes including drug trafficking, all of which they deny.

Nevertheless, Rodríguez - a Maduro loyalist - must maintain a tricky equilibrium: appealing to her socialist base by continuing to support Maduro through anti-imperialist rhetoric, while at the same time changing policies under pressure from US President Donald Trump, with the threat that she could be following Maduro if she won't comply.

[Nasruddin]

16. Craton

Southern Venezuela, like Guyana, draws its map line over one of the biggest cratons of South America - this is some
really, really old earth crust and probably poorly explored. The tepuis, the famous mesas, setting for A C Doyle's "The Lost World",
are part of this.

Probably some really juicy minerals in this region, and it's no doubt completely out of control. Probably the real motivation
for what went down, the oil would make sense to the Boss but is a who-cares (well, it was until he screwed the pooch).
The real prize is what's next to the gold mines.

[AloeVera]

17. How many semi-starved Venezuelans would that stolen $100M feed?

The U.S. has been colonized by the Dark Triad people. Like this guy, he even looks the part.

[Amaryllis]

21. Dark triad people???

[LiberalArkie]

33. Dark triad

The dark triad is a psychological theory of personality, first published by Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002,[1] that describes three notably offensive but non-pathological personality types: Machiavellianism, sub-clinical narcissism, and sub-clinical psychopathy.[2][3][4][5] Each of these personality types is called dark because each is considered to contain malevolent qualities.[2][6][7][8]

[AloeVera]

37. Like the Pod People in The Body Snatchers. See reply # 36. nt

[mahina]

31. What is the dark triad please?

thank you

[AloeVera]

36. A psychological theory of personality involving malevolent traits, hence "dark".

The triad consists of narcissism+machiavellianism+psychopathy.

If you add sadism, it becomes the Dark Tetrad.

I made the association because this guy and much of this psycho administration reminds me of the deception of the Pod People in The Body Snachers - they look like humans but they are alien replicas without human feelings!

I just can't fathom anyone fully human not seeing the callous cruelty in this particular act of sadistic theft from a poor nation.

[Amaryllis]

38. WEll, there is a lot about these people that makes me think of Voldemort. Dark Triad is as good a descriptor as any.

i heard a podcast recently where the person being interviewed said Trump was not a normal pres, and then correceted herself and said he is not a normal human.

[Iggo]

18. They stole it.

[Ferrets are Cool]

20. Actually bragging about their lawlessness. JFC

[ColoringFool]

22. International War Crime #1,725. 🎶 "And The Theft Goes On."

Pillage, plunder, rape--- nation, Constitution, law, minor child---it's all in a day's fun for Trump:

"I can do whatever I want."

"It would be an honor to take...."

[mahina]

23. So- we stole it?

What is this "brought back" bullshit?

God damn them.

[SharonAnn]

25. You beat me to this subject line.

[mahina]

30. Happy to see it twice.

Fuckers. I am ashamed on my own dime. And where is this gold exactly?

And how was that yesterday when Jackass bragged about how much money he was bribed with by IRAN?

I try my best to keep hatred out of my heart, God knows I do. But it is a fight.

[TBF]

24. So that's what they were after -

Iran has minerals too. We'll see what they bring back from there ...

This is disgusting. Literally looting other countries.

[relayerbob]

26. "Brought back" - ie STOLE

[BeyondGeography]

29. You say arrgh, I say aargh

[Vinca]

34. Which bathroom is it in at Mar-a-Lago?

[LiberalArkie]

35. Kind of like the U.S. Army emptied Iraq's vault and "Brought back" their gold. They said that it was

stored in New York and then sold and the U.S. currency was returned to Baghdad. There is no record of what price the gold was sold as it was done privately nor how much U.S. currency was shipped back to Baghdad.

[republianmushroom]

39. Just a little international armed robbery

by the crooked trump administration.

[EX500rider]

40. "installed a puppet"

By which he means the vice president took over as required by Venezuelan law?

[EX500rider]

41. Where is the claim verified that the US didn't pay for it?

What I found was this:
" The shipment followed the removal of former leader Nicolás Maduro and the implementation of a new licensing arrangement allowing transactions with Venezuela’s state-run mining company, Minerven."