TRUMP HAS NO LEVERAGE, Putin Maduro & Xi Prove it / Lt Col Daniel Davis & Robert Barnes

Daniel Davis Deep Dive Merch: Etsy store

Robert Barnes argues that Trump’s Venezuela and Colombia policy is being driven by Senator Marco Rubio (“Narco Marco”) and neoconservative, regime-change ideology — not by evidence or the national interest. Even Venezuelan- and Cuban-Americans in Miami overwhelmingly oppose military intervention, recognizing it ends in disaster. Maduro has offered negotiations and resources, but Trump is rejecting diplomacy out of ego and a need to project strength after failures with China, Russia, and Iran.

The analysis portrays Trump as reviving the dying “neocon empire,” using small, weaker targets like Venezuela to appear powerful — a “boomer-con,” Fox-fed show of machismo. Such interventions, the speaker warns, repeat past U.S. blunders (e.g., Grenada) and would worsen chaos, migration, and domestic backlash. Colombia’s inclusion in potential strikes stems partly from personal friction with its president, not strategy.

Domestically, a war in Latin America would alienate much of Trump’s MAGA base, especially those drawn to his original anti-war stance, while empowering Democrats to reclaim the anti-war mantle. His reliance on establishment advisers (“Swampy Suzie,” military-industrial ties) betrays his populist promises, undermines his legacy, and could fragment the Republican coalition.

The broader takeaway: both major U.S. parties have become dysfunctional and disconnected, and if Trump fails to reverse endless-war policies, public disgust could finally push Americans toward a viable third-party movement—similar to the populist realignment now reshaping British politics.