The Media Refuses to Call Trump’s Venezuela Attack an Act of War (theintercept.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/world@lemmy.world

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WHAT WOULD DONALD Trump have to do for the U.S. media to frame what he is doing in Venezuela as an act of war?

This isn’t a rhetorical question. It’s an actual inquiry, the pursuit of which can reveal a lot about how U.S. media’s default posture is state subservience and stenography. In the past few months, President Trump has committed several clear acts of war against Venezuela, including: murdering — in cold blood — scores of its citizens, hijacking its ships, stealing its resources, issuing a naval blockade, and attacking its ports. Then in a stunning escalation on early Saturday morning, the administration invaded Venezuela’s sovereign territory, bombing several buildings, killing at least 40 more of its citizens, kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their bed, and announcing they will, henceforth, “run” the country.

This episode seems to indicate that the president can do almost anything in the context of foreign policy, and the media will still overwhelmingly adopt language that is flattering and sanitizing to the administration when describing what has unfolded. This dynamic reached a new low Saturday morning, when the U.S. media rushed to frame the administration’s unprovoked attack as, at worst, a “ratcheted up” (CBS News) “pressure campaign” (Wall Street Journal) and, as was more often the case, some type of limited narcotics police “operation” (CNN).

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[-] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 1 points 3 weeks ago

Does Venezuela see this as an act of war? Regardless of if they're going to fight or not. Ask people.

[-] NateNate60@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago

The Venezuelan government might. But according to some DW reporting and footage earlier today, the actual reaction of ordinary Venezuelans is mixed, and mostly concern and confusion rather than anger or fear. Maduro is generally not popular in Venezuela but I doubt many people really wanted the US to come and kidnap him. And understandably those who supported him are in the streets calling for his release.

[-] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 0 points 3 weeks ago

Of course Maduro government doesn't like the situation, but people's opinion is important.

Yes, the method is still not right, but for now from my Eastern-European point of view the situation become better than it was.

Let's wait for how the power transition will end.

this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2026

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