The National Interest: Donald Trump’s Venezuela U-Turn Won’t Put America First

By Mackenzie France

By allowing Chevron to pump Venezuelan oil, the Trump administration is providing unearned breathing room for the Maduro regime.

In February, President Trump tore up the oil concessions given by former president Joe Biden to Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. This came after Maduro trampled his earlier agreement to hold free and fair elections in 2024, as well as his weaponization of immigration against the United States. Now, just five months later, President Trump has allowed Chevron to resume operations in Venezuela, in what appears to be a near replica of the concessions made during the Biden era.