Bolton Slams Trump's Venezuela Approach: 'He Loves the Dictatorship, Just Not the Dictator'

Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has sharply criticized President Donald Trump's approach to Venezuela in an New York Times op-ed, arguing that Washington has removed Nicolás Maduro without carrying out a genuine transition away from authoritarian rule.

The sprawling opinion piece by Bolton states that what is unfolding in Venezuela "is not regime change," but rather a series of half-measures that risk leaving the country under the control of Maduro-era power brokers.

Bolton said the U.S. military operation that led to Maduro's capture was justified, but faulted the administration for what followed. He pointed to Trump's statement that the United States would "run everything" in Venezuela and oversee elections "at the right time," comments that Secretary of State Marco Rubio later sought to narrow by saying Washington was only "running policy." Trump has since said U.S. involvement could last "possibly for years."

According to Bolton's op-ed, allowing figures tied to the former regime to retain authority, even temporarily, is a serious error. He warned that relying on Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, and interim leader Delcy Rodríguez assumes they will voluntarily dismantle their own power, an outcome he called unrealistic.

"To paraphrase what I once heard from a constitutional scholar," Bolton wrote, "Mr. Trump loves the dictatorship; he just hates one particular dictator, Mr. Maduro."

Bolton also criticized Trump for sidelining opposition leader María Corina Machado, who he said was overwhelmingly backed by Venezuelan voters in elections he described as stolen by the Maduro government. He argued that dismissing the opposition while engaging with Maduro's former allies undermines any chance of a democratic transition and demoralizes anti-government forces inside Venezuela.

The op-ed echoed comments Bolton made earlier this month in television interviews, where he said Trump appeared "very confused" about Venezuela's political dynamics and was wrong to believe a stable transition could be negotiated with Rodríguez. Bolton said the opposition, not remnants of the old regime, should lead the process.

Bolton warned during the op-ed that easing pressure too quickly—such as by restoring diplomatic relations or relaxing oil restrictions—could entrench the same power structures Washington claims to oppose. Without a clear strategy and sustained leverage, he argued, the United States risks becoming responsible for the actions of what remains of an authoritarian system.

"Stability for the sake of stability," Bolton wrote, "is not a transition."