Curation of Power: Trump, Oil and Venezuela

www.alliance2k.org – Curation usually brings to mind art galleries or music playlists, not barrels of crude. Yet President Trump has promised personal curation of proceeds from a proposed sale of 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil by the United States. He pledged to supervise how those revenues move, claiming they will support both Venezuelan citizens and the American public.

This promise turns an oil deal into a political showcase. It shifts attention from volumes, prices, and tankers toward curation of money flows, humanitarian narratives, and election optics. We are not just watching an energy transaction. We are watching an experiment where global geopolitics, domestic populism, and resource wealth intersect under a spotlight of curated control.

Curation as a New Political Performance

The word curation suggests taste, judgment, and care. Trump’s vow to handle curation of oil sale proceeds tries to send a message of personal responsibility. It says, “Trust me, I will watch every dollar.” That framing strengthens his brand as an active dealmaker, not a distant bureaucrat. It also channels public frustration toward a promise of visible oversight.

However, curation here does not resemble a museum director arranging paintings. Instead, it refers to a politician choosing where funds flow, who receives help, and whose narrative dominates cable news. True financial curation demands transparent rules, expert supervision, and independent audits. Personal control by a single leader rarely delivers those safeguards, especially for complex cross-border revenue streams.

Framing oversight as curation sounds modern and almost artistic, yet the stakes are concrete. Fifty million barrels translate into billions of dollars over time, depending on price and terms. Decisions about curation shape humanitarian aid for Venezuelans, revenue distribution at home, and leverage in negotiations with Caracas. Behind the polished word lies a raw struggle for power, influence, and public approval.

Oil, Sanctions, and the Theater of Curation

Venezuela’s oil sector has sat at the center of sanctions, corruption scandals, and economic collapse for years. Any large-scale U.S. sale involves a maze of legal waivers, political trade-offs, and pressure campaigns. Trump’s emphasis on direct curation of proceeds transforms those technical issues into a staged performance. It becomes a story of a leader personally steering money toward “the people,” instead of faceless agencies.

This performance plays well with voters tired of opaque institutions. By spotlighting curation, Trump casts himself as guardian of both American taxpayers and suffering Venezuelans. Still, real-world execution matters more than speeches. Who will define humanitarian priorities? How will funds avoid capture by elites on both sides? Curation without clear criteria risks devolving into ad hoc decisions driven by headlines.

From a geopolitical angle, this move also signals Washington’s ongoing effort to shape Venezuela’s future leadership. Control over oil revenue curation offers leverage over opposition groups, business networks, and local communities. If handled prudently, it might support democratic rebuilding. Mismanaged curation, however, could strengthen narratives of foreign interference, fueling resentment throughout Latin America.

My Take: Curation Needs Rules, Not Just Rhetoric

My own view is cautious optimism mixed with deep skepticism. Curation of oil proceeds could help Venezuelan citizens if embedded in clear rules, independent monitoring, and public reporting. Yet personal curation by any president, Trump included, carries high risk of politicization. Resource wealth has a long history of distorting democracies, not rescuing them. To turn this experiment into a genuine model, the United States would need transparent governance frameworks, Venezuelan voices at the table, and strict firewalls between campaign interests and revenue allocation. Otherwise, curation becomes another slogan, while citizens on both sides of the Caribbean remain spectators rather than true beneficiaries.