Jonathan Blitzer: The Stars Aligned Against Venezuela

6 January 2026 · 1h 15m

The Bulwark Podcast

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Trump wanted to alpha male and take some oil, Hegseth wanted to bomb something, Rubio wanted Maduro gone, and aggrieved Stephen Miller wanted to bully the weak. The White House eventually settled on Venezuela as the best place to take out its aggressions and drive home its anti-immigration message. And now the administration finds itself depending on an acting Venezuelan president who has a long history of being extremely anti-American. Jonathan and Tim take a deep dive into the back story of our latest international intervention. Plus, the State Department is trying to deport an activist against online hate as a favor to Elon Musk.

Imran Ahmed and The New Yorker's Jon Blitzer join Tim Miller.

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