Max Blumenthal: Trump’s January 3rd Kidnapping and the Ruse of Regime ‘Stability’

Max Blumenthal dissects Trump’s surprise abduction of Nicolás Maduro—mirrored to the 1989 Panama invasion—and the theories about military stand-downs that allowed a decapitation raid with minimal Venezuelan resistance. He maps the real endgame: handing Venezuela’s oil, minerals, and lithium to Trump cronies and Elon Musk while keeping the Bolivarian Revolution’s shell intact, installing a pliable Delcy Rodríguez as interim president to “whittle down Chavismo.” Blumenthal exposes how sanctions-induced economic collapse—not incompetence—drove migration, and how Rubio’s viceroy ambitions could still backfire if military hardliners like Diosdado Cabello resist imperial occupation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegrayzone.substack.com/subscribe