this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
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Donald Trump has said Venezuela will be “turning over” 30 to 50m barrels of sanctioned oil to the US, as the South American country seeks to avoid deep cuts in output amid an ongoing blockade on exports imposed by Washington since mid-December.

“This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” Trump said in a post online.

Venezuela has millions of barrels of oil loaded on tankers and in storage tanks that it has been unable to ship due to the blockade imposed by Trump, as part of the pressure campaign that culminated in the toppling of Nicolás Maduro who was seized from his country by US forces over the weekend.

“I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately,” Trump said, adding that the oil would be “taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.”

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[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 6 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

This sounds like a lot of oil, but it's actually not that much. The U.S. strategic oil reserve is about 44 billion barrels, and they distribute more than 5 million barrels per day.

So stumbling on 50 million barrels is about 10 days worth of crude oil distribution. It will barely make a dent in gas prices at the pump.

Regardless, this is blatantly corrupt activity. Trump intends to profit personally off of stolen Venezuelan oil.

My first search was how much we used a day, and it came out to be 2-3 days. I'm sure it won't be the last seizure we see, it's going to be a rough year again

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

It's approximately a tanker's worth, I presume....

[–] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 5 points 10 hours ago

This is a stick-up

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Pirates of Penzance, but the Pirate King and the Modern Major General are running the government. Lose the empathy, but keep the ineptitude.

[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 26 points 19 hours ago

"By me". Not by the government, not by the USA but BY HIM. God that says it all

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 8 points 15 hours ago

After the rape comes the plunder

[–] Baggie@lemmy.zip 23 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I'm having a hard time describing what this is, because it legitimately feels like piracy. Like privateers are after my barley and cane sugar.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 18 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Just good old fashioned colonialism like the brits intended

[–] nuko147@lemmy.world 8 points 17 hours ago

And Europe will sanction USA oil as theft and illegal. /s

[–] Velypso@sh.itjust.works 9 points 19 hours ago

Just a reminder to those of us who did not vote.

You helped do this.

[–] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 20 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Oh and the profits go directly to Trump huh? That's fun.

[–] howl2@lemmy.zip 6 points 21 hours ago

Huge surprise there. Im only mildly surprised he said it out loud.

[–] thejml@sh.itjust.works 85 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Cool, so now he's just stealing other country's stuff. Got it.

[–] nforminvasion@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Heb genuinely, literally, wholly thinks he is a god.

This man would try to conquer the galaxy if he had the means. He is deranged and his hubris and greed know no fucking end

[–] freebee@sh.itjust.works 5 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

I would gladly pay my two cents in a crowdfunding to send him on his way in a rocket out to nowhere...

[–] nforminvasion@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

Oh absolutely. He is just the poster child for it.

[–] nforminvasion@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

God. I wish

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 day ago

the us has been like this for long.

[–] WereHacker@lemmy.ml 3 points 23 hours ago

It is only hubris if he gets an eagle to eat his liver or something. The sad fact is that we as a global species and community are too disorganized to stop the fucker. We are not eagles, we are poultry running around in the hen house, feathers everywhere. While the that senile fox kills at leisure. We could stop him. At a price granted, but that would mean we would have give a common response. If only there was a global organization, where we could organize that. Or even a global infrastructure. But I am just a sad old fowl dreaming. In the meanwhile the senile fox has realized my country too has oil :/

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 50 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sweet! All of two days of US consumption. This was definitely worth violating another country's sovereignty and murdering a couple hundred people.

[–] plz1@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

This is just an appetizer

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 61 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So Trump, the man who's declared bankruptcy multiple times, is gonna take care of the money from sales of Venezuelan oil.

Jfc. :(

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America

This whole thing has been fairly confusing until you pointed this out. He’s been finagling his way through an absence of personal money. Now he has a huge fund to pull from. He invaded a country for oil, which isn’t unheard of, but essentially blackmailing another country to enrich the office of the president that he’s manning, that’s a very Reagan move. Also a very CIA move.

Edit: just mathed and it’s 1.7 billion dollars to singularly play with, minus tax. Even worse times potentially coming

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

50 million SOUNDS like a lot, but the US consumes 20 million a day:

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=33&t=6

So ooooh! A weekends worth! 😉

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And all it cost was global destabilization

[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 19 hours ago

There are plenty of human lives as well

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

If Trump says it then I assume it isn't true.