Staff Reports
On January 3, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a daring pre-dawn operation, a development that shattered the status quo and answered years of rot across America’s southern border. This was not a photo-op — it was the kind of decisive, unapologetic leadership Americans voted for when they demanded strength over surrender.
Reports say the operation included strikes across Caracas and a precision ground element that flew the couple out of the country, with the administration even signaling it would temporarily oversee Venezuela to stabilize the nation and its energy output. For too long the left’s appeasement allowed Venezuela’s oil and power to be used as a geopolitical weapon against us; bringing order to that chaos is the kind of America-first policy that protects working families.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced indictments out of the Southern District of New York charging Maduro and his wife with narco-terrorism, cocaine importation and weapons offenses, finally putting criminal accountability on the table for a regime that long trafficked in misery and poison. Conservatives cheered the prospect of bringing a murderous cartel-state leader to American justice rather than letting him rot in power and keep exporting crime to our cities.
Of course the usual chorus of legalists and diplomats predictably wailed about international law and congressional approval, as if endless lectures and resolutions ever stopped dictators from harming American lives. Those criticisms ring hollow next to the reality that Maduro presided over a narco-state that helped flood our streets with fentanyl and cocaine; protecting American citizens matters more than pleasing elites at the UN.
This country was built on the willingness to act when necessary, and today’s success belongs to the brave men and women in uniform and the bold leaders who backed them. If you want hand-wringing and platitudes, look to the open-borders crowd — if you want results, you support leadership that prioritizes safety, sovereignty and the rule of law.
Let the left scream about procedure while the rest of us keep our eyes on the prize: a safer homeland, fewer drugs killing our sons and daughters, and the restoration of order in a hemisphere the Democrats abandoned. Patriots know that justice and strength often demand tough choices, and a president who delivers both deserves the grateful support of every hardworking American.
Now the work begins to secure the gains, support a legitimate transition in Venezuela, and ensure our military and courts see this through without apology. Stand behind the troops, back the law, and remember that America’s first duty is to protect its people — today that duty was fulfilled with courage.
