Trump Describes Venezuela’s Communist Interim Leader As ‘Terrific Person’

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Is Trump now on the wrong side? Venezuela: Four signs last week that the Trump-Rodríguez relationship is warming up.

More than two weeks after the stunning U.S. raid on Caracas that led to the capture of Maduro, the political confrontation over the future of Venezuela is rapidly coalescing around two leaders, both women, who represent different visions for their country.

One, the interim president, a radical communist, Delcy Rodríguez, who stands for continuity of the Maduro regime, and opposition leader María Corina Machado, who seeks the restoration of democracy.

Machado grabbed the headlines last week with her visit to the White House, where she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump. However, she was received without much fanfare and left with a gift bag and a photo session — but no concrete support.

On Wednesday, Trump surprised many Venezuelan insiders by saying he had spoken by phone with the acting Venezuelan leader and praising her as a “terrific person.”

BUT SHE IS NOT A TERRIFIC PERSON. She is a drug-dealing communist with close ties to Cuba.

Until last week, it had seemed that Machado, who has spoken with U.S. officials for years and has a strong personal relationship with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was going to be the U.S. partner of choice, at least on a personal level.

But Rodríguez can now boast a direct connection to Trump, too. And that should worry everyone.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

U.S. reportedly considers granting asylum to Jewish people from the U.K. due to rising unchecked antisemitism there.

President Trump calls the new class of “battleship” by his own name, but China calls the Navy’s latest concept a larger and “easier target” for its growing array of anti-ship drones and missiles. Even as it builds bigger warships itself.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Insurrection Act? The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to be ready for possible deployment to Minnesota, where federal authorities have been conducting a massive immigration enforcement operation.

Worth it. Coast Guard didn’t meet its drug interdiction goals for 10 years, in part because it redirected the bulk of its efforts toward migrant interdiction at sea.

National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C., until the end of the year.

US POWER OVERSEAS

The U.S. has quietly completed its withdrawal from al-Asad air base in Iraq’s Anbar Province, bringing to a close more than two decades of military presence in the western part of the country.

Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group left the South China Sea, entered the Malacca Strait en route to the Indian Ocean, as USS Tripoli expeditionary assault ship is back underway.

While the Navy puts major emphasis on carrier strike group and expeditionary strike group deployments, driven by resource realities and global threat environment, the new Chief of Naval Operations wants to take a far more flexible and tailored approach for warship deployments to specific missions.

NARCO THREAT/VENEZUELA

Marine Corps general tapped to lead military operations in Latin America told lawmakers he stands ready to oversee an expanded presence that began ahead of Venezuelan narco dictator’s capture — but he doesn’t know how long that enhanced focus will last.

Good luck with that nonsense. Even after Venezuelan narco dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured, U.S. nationals may still be prosecuted under international law for the country’s previous attacks against suspected drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.

IRAN CRISIS

With the Islamic Republic of Iran convulsed by nationwide protests, White House insists all options remain “on the table.” Trump has threatened to intervene if Tehran’s leadership unleashes greater brutality on demonstrators.

As the U.S. is moving at least one and perhaps more aircraft carrier strike groups to the Middle East ahead of a potential future attack on Iran, some Air Force assets may be heading that way as well.

In the wake of spiraling tensions between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests, analysts warn the internal upheaval affecting the Iranian theocracy could carry nuclear proliferation risks.

Hands full at home, Iranian cyber-attacks on the U.K. noticeably dropped off during recent protests in Iran.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

WTF?! Vladimir Putin has reportedly been invited to join Trump’s “Board of Peace,” the committee that will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.

U.S. forces killed a terror leader in Syria who had ties to an ISIS insurgent who carried out the Dec. 13 ambush there that killed two Iowa National Guardsmen and one U.S. civilian.

French troops part of the U.N. Interim Force countered a hostile drone in southern Lebanon by deploying French-made jamming rifles that repelled the craft back toward Israel.

Syria says Sharaa, Trump discuss Kurdish rights as forces deploy in country’s north, east.

Syria-SDF ceasefire hangs in the balance after renewed clashes, faltering talks. Tensions are escalating between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), days after they announced a ceasefire deal.

GREENLAND CRISIS

Petty and dumb. In a letter to Norway’s leader, Trump suggested the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award last year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was a factor in his continued push to acquire Greenland.

Major airfield upgrades are in the works for the U.S. military’s base in Greenland, even as a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and NATO allies in Europe ratchets up over Trump’s push to take control of the territory.

“Europe won’t be blackmailed,” Danish PM says in wake of Trump Greenland threats. Trump says he will charge a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland.

CHINA THREAT

Latest U.S. defense policy signals that Congress expects deeper cooperation with America’s friends and allies across Indo-Pacific to counter an increasingly assertive China.

Military rivals China and Taiwan are both seen as benefiting from military training activities conducted with tiny Singapore, which, in turn, also gains from the cooperation.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

The EU proposed a $104.4 billion loan package for Ukraine spanning 2026 and 2027, with the condition that Kyiv must prioritize purchasing weapons and military equipment from European manufacturers.

VIDEO: Russian forces strap Starlink terminals to horses in Ukraine.

EUROPEAN DEFENSE

Crash of two high-speed trains in Spain kills at least 39. It is the country’s deadliest railway accident since 2013.

SPACE THREATS

Space Force ended “Resilient GPS,” an exploratory effort to add smaller, lower-cost navigation satellites to bolster the Global Positioning System, shelving a program that had been identified as a priority.

U.S. MILITARY

Two MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters completed their first operational mission escorting a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile convoy.

Army secretary says the Dronebuster is “f**king terrible” as soldiers continue to use the tech. Troops have been using the counter-drone system for years, including in training and on patrols along the Mexico border in recent months.

Marine Corps and Navy sealed a deal with L3Harris Technologies for 34 large T7 robots to support the services in explosive ordnance disposal missions.

VA awards disability benefits using criteria from 80 years ago, federal watchdog finds. VA needs to fully revise the criteria for awarding disability payments or risk miscalculating benefits for millions of veterans.

END of PDB

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