Editorial: Trump’s Chevron Deal Is a Win for America

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The Trump administration has taken the decision to reinstate Chevron’s licence to operate in Venezuela, marking a decisive and long-overdue shift in its Venezuela policy.

The decision, which will see Chevron resume operations in the world’s largest proven oil reserves after being barred in May 2025, is more than an economic arrangement. It is a significant foreign policy recalibration.

For too long, US engagement in Venezuela has been driven by a neoconservative agenda and the false promise of regime change - an approach that has only harmed US national security.

The reinstatement of Chevron’s licence follows months of interdepartmental infighting that left the President’s Venezuela policy out of step with his broader doctrine of non-interference and pragmatic realism.

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Chevron’s return to Venezuela is, first and foremost, a victory for American economic and energy security.

Global instability and conflict in the Middle East have placed enormous strain on energy markets, driving volatility at home. Reopening access to Venezuelan oil, under American oversight, delivers a major strategic gain for US supply chains.

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The President has secured an immediate energy boost without the entanglements that often accompany deals with other major producers. Venezuela has already stockpiled the equipment required to resume pipeline operations.

This decision also puts US national security at the forefront of hemispheric policy.

Chevron’s presence allows the White House to reassert American commercial leadership in an energy market where China and Russia have been making inroads. The revocation of Chevron’s licence acted as an invitation for adversaries to deepen ties with Caracas and build an energy nexus hostile to American interests.

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Beyond oil, the agreement signals an opening for renewed American involvement in other important strategic sectors. Venezuela holds vast reserves of rare earths and critical minerals, resources that have increasingly become targets of Chinese and Russian investment.

Reintroducing American capital and expertise in these sectors won’t just push back against adversaries but also bolster America’s manufacturing and high-value export markets.

These are the outcomes of a regional strategy rooted in strategic calculation, not performative ideological purity.

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The administration’s move is not an endorsement of Maduro. It is an acceptance of reality. Regime change has failed. The costs have been high, the returns non-existent. It is time to deal with the world as it is, not as some wish it to be.

By restoring Chevron’s licence, President Trump has signalled a return to realism. He has prioritised energy security, immigration enforcement, and American business, while rejecting the failed fantasies of toppling foreign governments.

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