The United States has been quite transparent in its intentions regarding Venezuela – it is determined to get rid of the current government and install the unelected, self-declared president Juan Guaido.
The White House is very clear – it wants to overthrow the governments in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua; and the US control over the world’s largest oil reserves.
However, there are concerns in Washington that the Trump administration has mistaken opposition to President Nicolas Maduro for support for US intervention, or for a candidate asking for military intervention.
Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi takes a look at how American domestic politics is shaping Washington’s policy on Venezuela.