On the morning of January 3, 2026, U.S. forces executed a daring operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, a move President Trump announced publicly as a decisive action against transnational narco-terrorism. The raid cleared a path to bring a notorious adversary to American soil where he will face justice for years of corruption and drug-running that have spilled poison into our neighborhoods.
President Trump didn’t mince words afterward: the United States will take an active role stabilizing Venezuela and ensuring its oil resources are not squandered by tyrants who enrich themselves while their people starve. This is not empire-building, it’s pragmatic Americanism — we protect our borders, dismantle criminal networks, and secure resources that can stabilize a hemisphere and strengthen our economy.
Of course the high-minded critics howled about “legality” and constitutional niceties; legal experts and many on Capitol Hill rightly asked whether Congress should have been briefed before such an operation. Those are valid procedural questions that deserve answers, but they cannot be a cover for the timid reflex that has let tyrants and cartels run roughshod over American lives for decades. The country must have a sober debate about oversight — not reflexive virtue-signaling that rewards weakness.
Here at home, patriots and conservative leaders understand what was at stake, and many applauded the president for taking action where words had failed. South Carolina’s own Rep. Sheri Biggs and other GOP lawmakers praised the operation as protection for American communities from cartel-backed poison, reminding voters that peace through strength is not an empty slogan but a moral imperative. Those standing ovations from defenders of the rule of law deserve to be heard louder than the crocodile tears of the international left.
Yes, the world is upset — expect emergency sessions at the United Nations and thunderous condemnations from anti-American regimes — but America’s first duty is to its citizens, not to the applause of authoritarians and global bureaucrats. Congress should move quickly to provide clear authority and resources while demanding accountability and a firm, time-limited plan to restore stable governance in Venezuela; Republicans must not let a moment of strength be squandered by half-measures or wishful thinking. The choice is simple: stand with bold leadership that defends America, or keep apologizing while our streets fill with drugs and our energy security is left in the hands of thugs.
