Donald Trump accidentally read from a confidential document during a press conference.
At 79, the president was addressing the topic of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, known to be the largest proven reserves globally. Following the discussion, the US proceeded to bomb Venezuela’s capital, Carácas, and special forces apprehended the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, who is now facing charges in New York.
During this gathering, Trump received a note from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This note was meant to remain private, but the president did not follow that instruction and ended up reading it to those present.
Upon receiving the note, Trump remarked: “Marco just gave me a note.”
He then proceeded to read it aloud, resulting in an unexpected mistake.
The note stated: ”Go back to Chevron. They want to discuss something.”
Trump continued: “Go ahead, I’m going back to Chevron. Thank you, Marco.”
This was in reference to the oil company Chevron, which currently produces approximately 150,000 barrels of oil daily in Venezuela, as reported by CNN.
Chevron is one of several oil companies in negotiations with the White House regarding potential investments in Venezuela’s oil infrastructure. It is among the more developed corporate entities operating in the country.
However, there are reports that Trump is facing more resistance than anticipated from oil companies that are hesitant to invest in Venezuela. Major concerns include ongoing instability in the region and previous instances where Carácas seized US oil assets in Venezuela.
The meeting also highlighted that Venezuela is not the only foreign nation in Trump’s focus. He reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark, justifying it with national security concerns. He suggested that if the US did not act on Greenland, Russia or China might.
Trump issued warnings about possible actions in Greenland ‘whether they like it or not,’ raising significant concerns about NATO’s future if the US were to act aggressively toward fellow member states.
The president also took a moment away from the press to observe the construction of a new ballroom he commissioned. This project necessitated the demolition of historic sections of the White House.
“If the fake news would like to take a look, you can,” he said. “You’ll see a very big foundation we are moving. We are ahead of schedule on the ballroom and under budget.”
After resuming his seat, he commented: “I don’t think there will be anything like it in the world, actually.”