Disaster in Venezuela: Bukele Shines, and Well, Who Wants to Make $25 Million?

Sarah Anderson | 4:55 PM on June 29, 2026
AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos

I took the weekend off from the news cycle to focus on fighting a major algae situation in my pool (don't tell any wacko leftists), but I did try to keep up with what's going on in Venezuela, and all weekend my brain kept coming back to one question: Why is Nayib Bukele doing more for the Venezuelan people than the Venezuelan regime is?  

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I know the answer to that, of course, but it highlights just how stupid the Joe Biden administration was on foreign policy, as well as how ridiculous some current Democrats in Congress act now. For years, the left in our country more or less ignored the successful president of El Salvador, treating him like some sort of cancer, despite the fact that most of his constituents adore him, he's turned his country from a hellhole to a place people actually want to be, and he's one of our greatest allies. He's done more for the United States than most countries, especially since Donald Trump took office. And they're still trying to sanction him. 

On the other hand, Biden and the Democrats essentially fall all over themselves to defend and coddle Nicolás Maduro and his regime. But if you ever needed a situation to highlight how wrong that is, the aftermath of the double Venezuelan earthquakes is just that.  

As I mentioned last week, we'd barely learned about the 7.2 and 7.5 back-to-back earthquakes when Bukele was already getting to work sending help — as far as I know, he was the first world leader to do so. Agree with his methods or not, this guy gets things done. Maybe he should be running Venezuela too.  

"At this moment, we have offered assistance to the Government of Venezuela through our Foreign Ministry," he wrote on social media, adding: "300 rescuers and paramedics, along with 50 tons of equipment, medicines, and essential supplies, are ready to depart for Caracas."  

El Salvador is a tiny country, and while's it's changing economically, thanks to Bukele, it's not a particularly wealthy country either. On top of what Bukele sent to Venezuela, he's been staying on stop of the situation on his social media, highlighting rescues made by the Salvadoran team, sharing helpful information, focusing on situations that need more attention, and even trying to reunite families. 

He's even sharing found puppies, hoping to find their owners.  

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On the other hand, as I wrote on Friday, the regime is, well, still acting like the regime, and it appears to be getting worse. Old Diosdado Cabello himself was filmed in the streets on Sunday, blocking rescue workers form the United States from getting through to help earthquake victims. 

Here's a video of the confrontation. 

The caption from Venezuelan journalist Orlando Avendaño says: 

They told me exactly what happened between Diosdado Cabello and the delegation of U.S. rescue workers. Diosdado demanded that they block the U.S. vehicle from passing. A group of armed police aggressively stopped the vehicle. Diosdado himself stepped in front of the U.S. truck and started pounding on the hood, telling them they couldn't pass. The Americans got out of the truck and confronted Diosdado, accusing him of sabotaging their efforts.

It's my understanding that Cabello and his team were trying to film some propaganda. 

Several members of Congress have sent warnings to Cabello, including Rep. Carlos A. Giménez (R-Fla.), who reminds us that Cabello is still wanted in the United States and has a $25 million reward on him. If you know any folks down there working, pass that tip along. I'd love to see this idiot brought to justice. 

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has also spoken out. 

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Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) says it's not a good look for the White House, and I agree. She points out that Bukele is doing a better job directing his team via satellite than the actual "government" is doing there on the ground. 

For those of you don't know who Cabello is, he's the regime's "Interior Minister," and he's even more of a problem than Maduro was. He's long been in charge of the regime's internal security, intelligence, repression, and torture networks.   

I've heard countless other horror stories of the regime preventing the international and even local aid from getting to the people and have seen many on social media. Security forces are stealing it for themselves or taking it and delaying delivery so they can hand it out themselves and take pictures to make themselves look good. 

One woman reported that her daughter was rescued, but they are telling her that she has a different name and won't let her have access to her. "They're stealing children," she told a reporter, and I'm seeing other reports of orphans being "trafficked." The leader of a rescue group from Chile says the military checked his team's documents over and over, claiming they were afraid that the team was made up of "Yankee spies" from the United States. And as stories like these are getting around, I'm now seeing reports that the regime shut down access to La Guaira, the hardest hit area, so that international press can no longer report on what they're seeing. I'm also seeing reports that the regime wants to demolish certain buildings even though people who are very much alive are still trapped beneath them.   

The regime is blocking and delaying international help. 

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The Venezuelan people are pissed: 

I could go on for hours with stories like these, but you get the idea. On Friday, I said that this entire situation will have a profound impact on the current fragile political situation in Venezuela, good or bad, by the end. Cabello and Delcy Rodríguez are using it to consolidate power even further and blame all of the problems on foreign influence, and, as my friend and colleague Charlie Martin and I were talking about earlier, they probably see it as their opportunity to take back control. 

And I can see why Trump and Marco Rubio aren't making a big public fuss about it — they aren't just monitoring the regime; there is a lot of fear of major civil unrest or a full collapse that could lead to mass migration and a bigger internal catastrophe. It's a long game. But given the current situation, I'm not sure that game plan is going to work much longer. The Venezuelan people at home and abroad are losing their patience at a rate much faster than before. So are many of our international partners who are attempting to provide help, despite their initial skepticism.  

Hopefully the Trump administration is applying more quiet pressure that we're just not hearing much about (some diplomatic sources say Rubio has been in constant contact with Delcy and is doing just that). Otherwise, this is only going to get worse before it gets better. 

What might complicate matters a bit more is that opposition leader and would-be, should-be president María Corina Machado announced on Monday that she is returning to Venezuela very soon to help with efforts. If you'll remember, she left the country in December to accept her Nobel Peace Prize. It was a daring escape after living in hiding for a year and a half. World on the street is she's currently in Colombia, planning her return to the country ASAP. I'll be honest, I'm concerned about that, but it is her country and her decision, and ask almost anyone there who their leader is, and that is who they'll say.  

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Update: María Corina Machado has announced that she is in Panama and that she tried to return to Venezuela, but Delcy Rodríguez closed the airspace to prevent her return.

Now for some other news and facts about the situation:   

Death Toll: We're at around 1,700, but tens of thousands of people are still missing. Unfortunately, time is running out for survivors. 

Flooding: The regime isn't the only thing impacting search and rescue times. Heavy rains have hit parts of Venezuela and are causing landslides and flooding in some areas impacted by the earthquakes. 

Samaritan's Purse: Many of you have asked me about making contributions, and several of you have mentioned Samaritan's Purse. They are on the ground, building a field hospital and helping in many other ways. 

The State Department also has a list of ways you can help.

U.S. Humanitarian Aid: The only country doing more than El Salvador is the United States, of course. According to the State Department's latest updates, we've committed over $300 million to the cause. 

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"All U.S. humanitarian funding has been directed to a range of trusted international and non-governmental partners with proven capacity to deliver life-saving assistance quickly and effectively," according to the State Department. "Partners include Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services, UNICEF, IOM, WFP, International Medical Corp, Project Hope and the Red Cross. These funds will provide emergency medical care, food assistance, water and sanitation, shelter, protection, and logistics."  

State is also leveraging private partners, like Walmart, and the "generosity of the American people." We've deployed four "world-class" search and rescue teams, and the department says it's coordinating closely with the Department of War, particularly the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), in "supporting relief logistics on the ground, leveraging unique American air, naval and logistics capabilities to power a coordinated and effective international response."  

Here's more on SOUTHCOM's efforts: 

SOUTHCOM is also deploying assets to enable the delivery of critical supplies by sea. The USS Fort Lauderdale has been positioned off the cost of La Guaira and U.S. Sailors and Marines are delivering supplies with landing and amphibious craft directly to the most affected coastal areas. A specialized naval operations team has also deployed to the Port of La Guaira, damaged by the earthquake, and will work with Venezuelan authorities to repair and reopen the port for humanitarian operations.

Working with the Department of State’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), SOUTHCOM has also continued to deploy unique American aviation and rotary assets to aid critical life-saving search and rescue operations. U.S. aircraft have conducted aerial surveys to identify survivors and assess damage, transport search-and-rescue teams from the United States and international partners to critical zones, and to move relief teams and supplies to the frontline. SOUTHCOM has deployed various aircraft types including the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130H Hercules, M/V-22 Osprey, CH-47 Chinook, UH-1Y Venom and U/MH-60 Blackhawk.

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I'll wrap up here, but I will be doing updates for the foreseeable future. I've also got some heartwarming stories that I'll try to share later in the week. 

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.

Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.

Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson is a Georgia-based freelance writer and journalist, specializing in foreign policy, with a passion for Latin America and the Caribbean.  

When she's not writing, you can find her chasing animals on her small hobby farm, swimming every chance she gets, traveling, gardening, reading, or yelling at a Georgia Bulldogs or Atlanta Falcons football game like any good Southerner. 

You might also catch her watching State Department briefings to unwind.  

Email Sarah at [email protected].

Read more by Sarah Anderson

Category:

NEWS & POLITICS

Tags:

FOREIGN POLICY MARCO RUBIO NAYIB BUKELE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION VENEZUELA NICOLÁS MADURO

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