Last week, a report by the Associated Press revealed that President Donald Trump’s threat of a military intervention in Venezuela was more serious than previously thought. To the horror of his top aides, Trump had repeatedly asked them why the U.S. couldn’t simply invade the country. Even after their attempts to nip the idea in the bud, Trump raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and three other Latin American allies. All of whom assured Trump they did not want a military solution. Luckily, Trump has been dissuaded from pursuing a military intervention.
But, if Russian and Chinese state media had their way, they would like the world to believe Trump is still seriously considering military action in the country. As part of our new project, Lies & Distortions: Tracking Russian & Chinese Fake News in Latin America, which monitors four state news sources that have quickly gained influence in the region, Global Americans has found Russian state media outlets Sputnik Mundo and Russia Today posted misleading and false articles claiming the U.S. believes a military coup is the only option left to deal with Venezuela. The misleading article by Sputnik Mundo claims the Trump administration is actively considering a military option in Venezuela without offering evidence to support those claims. Another article by Russia Today falsely claims that the U.S. is actively seeking regime change in Venezuela because of the country’s oil reserves.
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