Criticism from the right and center
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a former Trump ally who announced her resignation from Congress, framed the Venezuela mission in pointed terms on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives,” Greene said.
The concern was not confined to the party’s far-right flank. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a moderate who faces a competitive reelection race in November, issued a statement drawing a direct line: “the only country that the United States of America should be ‘running’ is the United States of America.”
Fitzpatrick’s statement was a response to Trump’s weekend comments in which the president said the U.S. would position itself to “run” Venezuela following Maduro’s capture.
Trump projects confidence; allies draw historical contrasts
Trump said on Saturday he was “not afraid of boots on the ground” in Venezuela if circumstances required it and articulated what he described as an aggressive vision of American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. He warned Sunday that additional military operations may follow.
Administration allies sought to distinguish the mission from prior military interventions that proved politically costly. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appearing on “Meet the Press,” rejected comparisons to recent conflicts.
“Venezuela looks nothing like Libya,” Rubio said. “It looks nothing like Iraq. It looks nothing like Afghanistan. It looks nothing like the Middle East other than the Iranian agents that are running through there plotting against America, okay?”
Rubio also said Washington would not handle Venezuela’s day-to-day governance beyond enforcing an existing oil quarantine on the country.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said the 1989 U.S. ouster of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega was the more apt comparison.
“That was a successful operation,” Cotton said. “I believe, in the long run, this will be too.”
Collins and Paul express measured caution
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a potentially competitive reelection campaign, acknowledged Maduro’s record while pressing for congressional oversight. Collins described Maduro as a “narco-terrorist and international drug trafficker” who should stand trial, and said “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.”
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has frequently criticized military interventions, stopped short of outright opposition. Paul wrote on social media that “time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost.”
Democratic opposition and political risks ahead
Democrats were broadly opposed. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York rejected the administration’s framing that the operation targeted drug trafficking, arguing on X that the real objectives were “oil and regime change” and that it sought to “distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg described the mission as fitting an “old and obvious pattern” where an “unpopular president — failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home — decides to launch a war for regime change abroad.” The Democratic National Committee moved quickly to raise money off the intervention.
Analysts have noted that public support for military actions can erode as operations extend and costs accumulate. Frustration with the Iraq War contributed to major Democratic gains in the 2006 midterm elections. Beyond the domestic political dynamics, questions remain about how effectively Venezuela’s oil reserves can be developed with Maduro removed, how much cooperation the U.S. will receive from officials remaining in the country, and whether an extended U.S. military presence could worsen the regional refugee crisis the administration has sought to contain through stricter border controls.