The capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, hailed by many as a long-overdue reckoning for a regime plagued by human rights abuses, has instead triggered a frenzy among Democrats.
For over a decade, prominent figures in the party lambasted Maduro’s rule, highlighting his role in Venezuela’s economic collapse, mass exodus, and brutal suppression of dissent. Yet, in a twist of partisan irony, the same voices now decry Trump’s intervention as “illegal” and an “impeachable offense,” conveniently forgetting their own calls for action and the precedents set by previous Democratic administrations.
This reversal plays right into what appears to be a strategic trap laid by Trump, one where critics find themselves navigating a path lined with unyielding “MAGA” resolve. Democrats, once vocal about Maduro’s atrocities—including the arbitrary detention of over 15,800 political opponents since 2014 and thousands of extrajudicial killings—now pivot to accusations of overreach.
They claim the operation was motivated by oil grabs, dismissing the regime’s track record of jailing and killing dissenters while ignoring Venezuela’s staggering humanitarian crisis that displaced nearly 8 million citizens.
Compounding the absurdity, Venezuela’s financial entanglements with adversaries like Russia and China provided ample justification for intervention. The country has accumulated massive debts—estimates peg outstanding obligations to Russia at around $20-30 billion in liabilities, with total loans historically around $17 billion, and to China, where over $60 billion was loaned but with roughly $10-12 billion still owed after partial repayments through oil shipments.
Unable to repay without resorting to sanctioned oil exports or illicit activities like drug trafficking, Maduro’s regime became a pawn in great-power games. Sanctions on Venezuelan oil, initiated under President Obama in 2015 targeting individuals and expanded under Trump, were temporarily lifted and then reinstated by President Biden in 2024, further isolating the economy.
Biden even escalated pressure by increasing the U.S. bounty on Maduro to $50 million in August 2025, designating his network as a terrorist organization.
The hypocrisy deepens when considering Democratic precedents.
Under President Obama, U.S. drone strikes in Yemen struck a wedding procession in 2013, killing civilians in a counterterrorism operation—a tragic misstep that drew international scrutiny but was defended as necessary.
Similarly, the Biden administration facilitated the 2022 extradition and indictment of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on drug-trafficking charges, leading to his 45-year sentence in the U.S.
These actions, involving extraterritorial pursuits of foreign leaders, mirror the very tactics now condemned when executed by Trump.
At the heart of Trump’s rationale lies the Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 policy declaring the Western Hemisphere off-limits to external powers’ interference.
Russia and China’s deep entrenchment in Venezuela—through military aid, loans, and infrastructure control—represented a blatant violation, turning the nation into a strategic outpost mere hours from U.S. shores. Trump’s intervention delivers a clear message: to Maduro directly (now in custody), and indirectly to Moscow and Beijing—fuck around and find out (FAFO). Despite their condemnations, neither power has escalated, constrained by their own global commitments.
I wrote recently about the military implications of the operation in Venezuela. As for Democrats, Trump’s stance is equally unambiguous: I don’t give a fuck (IDGAF).
Long past heeding their opinions, he views their opposition as rooted in deeper entanglements, including alleged reliance on shadowy funding streams tied to cartels and migration chaos that benefited political narratives. This operation sidesteps such games, focusing instead on hemispheric strength.
Imagine a revitalized Western Hemisphere.
El Salvador under Nayib Bukele has slashed crime through tough policies, inspiring economic rebound.
Argentina and Chile follow suit with reforms fostering stability and growth. Trump’s vision elevates the region as a global powerhouse, where strong, independent nations collaborate for mutual wins. Venezuelans, scattered across the globe, can soon return to rebuild, securing real jobs in a revived economy bolstered by U.S. support.
Forget the outdated Monroe Doctrine; we’ve entered the era of the Trump Doctrine—a pragmatic, unapologetic assertion of American leadership that prioritizes security, prosperity, and accountability. Democrats’ outrage, while predictable, only underscores their entrapment in outdated partisanship.
In the end, as long as the hemisphere thrives, scorekeeping fades—who needs it when everyone’s winning? Anybody wonder how long it takes for Democrats to lose interest in Maduro? Perhaps some crazy white Leftist woman will try to run over an ICE agent, get herself killed, then positioned as a martyr and that will cause them to shift?
