In a dramatic show of American resolve, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro in an operation that President Trump announced in the early hours of January 3, 2026. After years of watching Caracas become a narco-state that exported chaos and cartel-backed violence to our streets, this administration finally acted where others only posture.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put it plainly on Fox’s The Big Weekend Show: it’s “pretty rich” to hear Russia and China lecture the world about international law after their long histories of aggression. Pompeo’s blunt rebuke underscored a fundamental truth — adversaries who profit from despots should not be taken seriously when they howl about U.S. power.
Predictably, Moscow and Beijing condemned the operation as a violation of sovereignty, a predictable chorus from countries that build empires and bankroll dictators. Their protests ring hollow to any patriot who remembers which regimes routinely trample the rules they suddenly rediscover when it suits them.
Let’s be clear about the facts: Maduro is accused of running a narco-terrorist enterprise that funneled cocaine and cartel violence into the United States, and U.S. prosecutors intend to bring him to justice in the Southern District of New York. For too long American lives were treated as collateral in the left’s foreign-policy moralizing — tonight justice has a face.
This was not about imperial glory; it was about national security and the security of our hemisphere. Venezuela sits on oil reserves the world envies and served as a launching pad for cartels and hostile influence; reclaiming stability there is an act of defense for hardworking Americans and regional partners.
Critics on the left and their allies in the press will howl about Congress and legality; history shows presidents have used commander-in-chief authority in precisely these kinds of urgent circumstances to defend the nation and its citizens. The legal debate is familiar, and while Americans debate process, bad actors were being removed from harm’s way and a major narco-trafficking head was taken off the streets.
Now comes the hard work: secure evidence, prosecute the guilty, and help restore the institutions Venezuela needs to be free and prosperous again. Conservatives should stand tall and demand that this victory not become a Washington temper tantrum — it must become a renewal of American leadership that protects our homeland and liberates our neighbors.
