Former President Donald Trump has appeared to endorse a discredited conspiracy theory suggesting Venezuela's leadership manipulated the 2020 US presidential election, raising questions about the motivations behind his administration's aggressive stance towards the South American nation.
The Social Media Post and Its Implications
On Sunday, Trump used his Truth Social platform to repost a segment from a podcast hosted by far-right media personality Lara Logan. The segment promoted the baseless claim that Venezuela controls electronic voting software worldwide and was responsible for his electoral defeat to Joe Biden.
While Trump's post did not explicitly name Venezuela, it stated: "We must focus all of our energy and might on ELECTION FRAUD!!" The accompanying podcast was a rehash of allegations centred around a self-published book called 'Stolen Elections', which details the implausible theory.
This development comes just two days after The Guardian reported that Trump's Department of Justice has been extensively interviewing conspiracists pushing the same idea. These individuals claim to possess proof of a scheme where Venezuela flips votes to favour its preferred candidates.
Key Figures and Ongoing Investigations
The US attorney in Puerto Rico, W Stephen Muldrow, has repeatedly interviewed former CIA officer Gary Berntsen and Venezuelan expatriate Martin Rodil. Both men assert they have evidence of the alleged electoral interference.
Furthermore, Berntsen and author Ralph Pezzullo appeared as guests on Lara Logan's podcast on Friday, amplifying the debunked claims. When asked by The Guardian about Trump's apparent affirmation of his theory, Berntsen replied: "The President knows this is NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY, he knows the truth, evidence in possession of DOJ."
This theory has already been thoroughly discredited. In 2023, a judge ruled it to be false. Furthermore, Fox News paid $787 million to Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit that was partly based on identical claims about Venezuela's supposed role.
Broader Political and Military Context
Trump's social media activity coincides with a significant military build-up in the region, including the deployment of a Navy aircraft carrier. On Monday, the administration escalated pressure by designating the Venezuelan-based Cartel De Los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
An indictment filed in 2020 alleged that Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro heads this reputed organization. While White House officials have previously cited migration and the drug trade as reasons for Trump's hostile Venezuela policy, his latest comments suggest a different, more personal motivation may be at play.
David M Rowe, a political science professor at Kenyon College, specialising in national security, noted: "If it captures Trump’s attention, my understanding is it is part of the process. Trump needs to find justification in his own mind for war."
Professor Rowe suggested that claims of narcoterrorism have not resonated with Trump's America First base, which is typically reluctant to support overseas intervention. However, an alleged attack on the American electoral system could provide a stronger justification for military action in the eyes of his supporters.
A Venezuelan opposition figure, who spoke to The Guardian on condition of anonymity, expressed scepticism, suggesting that proponents of the conspiracy theory are exploiting their access within the administration to push a debunked narrative about the 2020 election.
