“As you probably know we have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump said at an event at the White House. “It was seized for a very good reason.”

Classic Trump dissembling. Start with a brag and end with an empty explanation.

What is really going on is bullying. Trump wants to get rid of Maduro, presumably to put someone compliant in place that is dependent on Trump to be in power, thereby giving Trump control over their oil. The U.S. is already the world’s largest producer, has effective control over Canada’s oil via proximity and the Keystone pipeline, and also has great power over middle-eastern oil via alliances, weapons sales, and the ability to easily shut down the Strait of Hormuz. This is important because China is the world’s largest oil importer, and a choke on the oil supply could potentially cripple them. This is especially true if Trump were to partner with Putin, and cut China off from Russia’s oil as well. Indeed, Putin and Trump working together could skyrocket energy costs, and greatly harm not only China, but also Europe and the rest of the world.