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The Fallout of Massive Earthquakes for Venezuela — and the U.S.
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The US Takeover: Marco Rubio in Charge of Venezuela
At 17:31 · chapter starts 17:05
When the Trump administration extracted Maduro earlier in 2026, it didn't just remove a dictator — it installed itself as the de facto governing power. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team now make everyday decisions about Venezuela's governance, its public revenues, and its political direction. This is, Karmanayev emphasizes, 'not a metaphor.' At the damaged main airport in La Guaira, he witnessed the full absurdity of the situation: Granco Arteaga, a senior Venezuelan security official wanted by the US for alleged torture and political killings, standing quietly and watching US military helicopters taking off and landing a few hundred yards in front of him. The former nemesis now has complete free rein on Venezuelan soil.
The US controls Venezuela's public revenues, influences its political system, and effectively makes its everyday governance decisions. This isn't a metaphor. Marco Rubio and his team are the real decision-makers — and during a disaster response, that extra layer of bureaucracy cost precious time.
After the US extracted Maduro, the Trump administration gained direct control over Venezuela's public revenues and effectively makes everyday decisions about how Venezuela is run.
At Venezuela's damaged main airport, Karmanayev watched a senior Venezuelan security official — accused of torture and killings, long sought by the US — calmly watching American military helicopters take off and land just hundreds of yards in front of him. US power, once Venezuela's great enemy, now has free rein.
In the critical first 24 hours after the quakes — when survivors are most likely to be found alive — there was virtually no organized government response, no heavy machinery, and no civil servants on the streets.
