



Oil isn’t the only commodity at play in the US ouster of Maduro
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Oil isn’t the only commodity to drive President Donald Trump’s decision to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The nation’s critical minerals shouldn’t be overlooked as a potential motive for regime change.
While oil gets the attention, the U.S. has plenty of it, perhaps too much. What it doesn’t have are the critical minerals essential to America’s artificial intelligence push.
Throughout 2025, the U.S. government intervened directly in sectors necessary for AI dominance, according to analysts at Bank of America. Last July, the Department of War awarded a $900 million package to rare-earths producer, MP Materials, to fund the construction of a new domestic magnet-manufacturing facility and expand the company’s mining and processing capabilities.
Securing minerals became all the more urgent after China, which accounts for roughly 85% of global processing capacity, restricted rare earth exports last year. Analysts say accessing Greenland’s mineral deposits is part of Trump’s efforts to bring the island under U.S. control, and it was likely part of the calculation when considering the U.S.
incursion into Venezuela. “You have steel, you have minerals, all the critical minerals, they have great mining history that’s gone rusty," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said about Venezuela over the weekend. There’s just one problem when it comes to Venezuela: The country doesn’t have as many crucial minerals as some of its neighbors do.
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