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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 195

Shake Up

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 195: Shake Up

How Marco Rubio Is Running Venezuela From Afar

July 11, 2026 · 6:01 am ET · Leave a Comment

“President Trump was sitting in the Oval Office earlier this year with Secretary of State Marco Rubio when an idea came to him,” the New York Times reports.

“Maybe he should dispatch Mr. Rubio permanently to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, where U.S. commandos had carried out the proudest foreign policy achievement of Mr. Trump’s second term: the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the country’s president.”

“Mr. Rubio could be the next leader of Venezuela, Mr. Trump suggested. And while the president’s aides say he was joking — and that he frequently teases Mr. Rubio about an overseas assignment — the fact is that Mr. Rubio does not need to move to Caracas.”

“He already runs Venezuela from Washington.”

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