Staff Reports
America watched a decisive few days that proved once again that strength matters. In a bold move early in January 2026, President Trump authorized military strikes that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his transfer to New York to face narco-terrorism and drug-trafficking charges—an operation that shook the corrupt regime to its core and put a criminal kingpin where he belongs. This was not a timid press conference or a weak tweet; it was action, and action brought results.
Washington’s new posture is unapologetically American First: the administration says it will quarantine Venezuelan oil to keep it out of the hands of China, Russia, and Iran, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been blunt about denying our adversaries a foothold in the Western Hemisphere. Conservatives who want a real foreign policy should applaud the logic—this isn’t humanitarian grandstanding, it’s geopolitics and national security executed like it should be. If you care about American sovereignty, you should welcome a government that protects the hemisphere with muscle and clear-eyed strategy.
Of course the usual suspects and a handful of isolationist Republicans cried foul, and some in the MAGA orbit are publicly squabbling. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation and Thomas Massie’s objections highlight the split between true America Firsters who prioritize borders and budgets and a faction that reflexively opposes any concentrated use of force. They can gripe about precedents and process while countries in our neighborhood become narco-states; the rest of us know that leadership sometimes requires uncomfortable decisions.
Legalists and Democrats will howl about Congress and international law, but the reality is simple: Maduro was a narcotrafficker who turned Venezuela into a launchpad for chaos, and the administration insists it will temporarily “run” the country to stabilize it and stop the flow of drugs and radical influence. President Trump has even warned a second strike could follow if remaining pockets of resistance don’t cooperate—an unmistakable signal that weakness will not be rewarded. Americans tired of empty talk should be honest enough to admit that deterrence often demands decisive, even risky, steps.
Look beyond Venezuela and you see why this matters for our homeland: the president has openly asked Mexico’s leadership if the United States should “take out” the cartels, senators like Lindsey Graham are openly celebrating the prospect of toppling communist footholds like Cuba, and Greenland has been reasserted as a strategic priority against Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. These are not fanciful targets—they are pragmatic choke points for drugs, communist expansion, and great-power rivalry. We should be grateful our leaders are thinking big instead of shrinking from reality.
Finally, there is a concrete American upside to this audacity: U.S. refineries and companies stand ready to rebuild and process Venezuela’s heavy crude under lawful, free-market terms—bringing jobs, energy security, and leverage back to our shores. Rubio’s message that the oil will not benefit our adversaries but could be channeled into legitimate markets is the kind of pragmatic economic patriotism conservatives should embrace. If we pair toughness with economic renewal, we win geopolitically and domestically.
Now is the moment for patriots to stand with strength over timidity. The left and the world’s dictators will scream, but history rewards nations that defend their interests and protect their people. If conservatives want to be taken seriously, we must back leaders who secure borders, punish narco-terrorists, and keep hostile powers from turning our hemisphere into their playground. Support for firm action is not warmongering—it is the defense of American life, liberty, and prosperity.
