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Brendan Cole
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President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. has captured Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro has sparked a strong response from key Make America Great Again (MAGA) figures, with some conservative voices saying it was a display of U.S. strength.
Trump said on Truth Social that Venezuela’s president and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country after a "large scale" attack.
The operation has sparked a big response on social media with some MAGA figures saying it had sent a strong message to American adversaries.
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Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America, U.S. and North America Program, from the Chatham House think tank told Newsweek on Saturday that the Trump administration had tried to make the pressure campaign on Venezuela palatable to its MAGA base but "this was always all along about regime change."
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Why It Matters
The threat of U.S. intervention in Venezuela has divided the Republican party during the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean which saw American strikes against boats the Trump administration said were linked to the drug trade and Maduro.
Trump’s campaign against Caracas has been backed by some Republicans from South Florida, including Reps. María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez. But it has also met resistance from America First nationalists, such as Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson as well as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Trump may face growing pushback within the GOP.
What To Know
Just hours after Trump announced that Venezuela’s first couple had been captured and taken out of the country, Republican figures are still reacting. Rep. Salazar posted that the narco-terror imposed by the Maduro regime is over, and it was time for the rightful leaders of Venezuela to restore freedom and rebuild the nation.
Rep. Giminez wrote in Spanish that those who obstruct the democratic transition "will face worse consequences than Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores" and that "the Venezuelan people chose Edmundo and María Corina Machado. It is time to uphold the result and choose a free Venezuela."
Conservative media personality Mila Joy noted the timing of the operation coinciding with the visit of a Chinese delegation to meet Maduro, saying that it sends "a powerful message to (President) Xi and China at the same time."
The X channel MAGA Voice posted a clip of the U.S. Secretary of State, writing "this is how remarkable Trump’s Cabinet is. Here is Marco Rubio singing having fun while also knowing Venezuela’s President Maduro would be captured."
Meanwhile, far-right political activist Laura Loomer posted on X that the operation in Venezuela took place six years to the day after Trump ordered drone strikes on Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. She also referred to Tehran’s condemnation of Trump’s Venezuela operation and the U.S. president’s threat of retaliation against the Iranian leadership if it cracks down violently against the protests that have taken place across the Islamic Republic.
"Between Venezuela, China, Turkey and Iran, we are watching a major shock to the forces pushing multipolarity tonight," Loomer added.
Sabatini, from Chatham House, said that the Trump administration had until recently tried to justify the pressure campaign against Venezuela within a MAGA framework, first arguing that it was a matter of American safety, for reasons of migration and crime, then for reasons of narcotics trafficking.
However, Sabatini added that it now appeared as though this was all about regime change and this could lead to very serious questions even within the upper echelons of the Republican Party about whether Trump misled them, and where he's going next.
What People Are Saying
Rep. María Elvira Salazar on X: "Tonight, a new cry of freedom echoes across the hemisphere: loud, clear, and unstoppable. ¡Viva la libertad!"
Conservative commentator Mila Joy on X: "Trump captures Maduro and sends a powerful message to Xi and China at the same time. Savage."
Chris Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America, US and North America Program, Chatham House: "This was always all along about regime change, although the Trump administration tried to make it more palatable to its MAGA base."
Sabatini added: "The Trump administration in many ways stumbled into this situation, hoping for an easy regime change without having to engage military personnel and activities inside Venezuela. That's obviously no longer the case."
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello: "The world needs to speak out about this attack."
What Happens Next
The location of Maduro and his wife is not yet known but the Venezuelan president faces charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, as well as charges linked to weapons and "destructive devices against the United States", according to Attorney General Bondi who said the couple has been indicted in the Southern District of New York.
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