I am thinking the theories are true because of the must larger negative repercussions of that action.

They are strengthening the regime (US intelligence services were aware of that before the attack and had informed the president), they are destabilizing all their oil producers, they are risking great economic cost..

It only makes sense if indeed they either extorted him, or if he is indeed demented / deranged.

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names_are_hard 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Or he's just a manchild who likes doing things that he thinks will make him look strong.

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autoexec 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Picking on someone vastly weaker than you (especially while they're already getting beat up by somebody else) doesn't make you look strong, it mostly just makes you look like an asshole, and probably an asshole who is too scared or too weak to go after somebody who can actually fight back.

	▲	koshergweilo 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> it mostly just makes you look like an asshole This is true, but only for a certain percentage of the US population. Large swaths of this country think that picking on our weaker neighbors evidence of our strength

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koshergweilo 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

You make it sound as if Trump is some kind of rational actor who would never willingly put his hand on the stove.

Indeed every negative repercussion you have mentioned has already been previously inflicted on us without any extortion required.

> They are strengthening the regime

Us action in Venezuela has only strengthened the PSUV's grip on the country.

> they are destabilizing all their oil producers, they are risking great economic cost.

Liberation day. Need I say more?

This administration is quite willing to risk stability and the economy to assuage Trump's ego.

I mean he campaigned on stuff like "the so-called enemy doesn’t respect our country any longer." Blaming "Kamala Harris’ weakness" for this loss of respect. What else shows strength like literally blowing up your adversary?