Governor Gavin Newsom and top Democrats are trashing President Trump and his administration after the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro
Newsom, who seems ready to make a run for the White House in 2028, took time to share his disapproval of “Operation Absolute Resolve,” a lightning-fast military strike that saw U.S. forces snatch Venezuelan dictator Maduro right out of Caracas.
“Maduro is a thug and a criminal. But Donald Trump proposing to ‘run’ Venezuela without a coherent long-term plan beyond an oil grab is dangerous for America. The path forward must be democracy, human rights, and stability,” Newsom said in a statement reported by The Hill.
From California to Congress, other Democrats lined up to slam the commander-in-chief, labeling Maduro’s capture as a distraction to problems at home and a blatant oil grab.
Former VP Kamala Harris, who recently took a pass on running for Newsom’s soon-to-be-vacant seat, chimed in with a similar refrain. She accused Trump of playing a “regional strongman” to secure Venezuela’s oil reserves. “There is no exit plan,” Harris said, claiming the move was about “Trump’s desire,” not the American people.
Not to be outdone, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took to X to accuse Trump of launching a “war for regime change” to hide a “failing economy.”
“The American people don’t want to ‘run’ a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one,” Buttigieg wrote.
Meanwhile, AOC said, “It’s not about drugs,” in a nod to Trump’s recent pardoning of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. “It’s about oil and regime change,” she wrote on X. “And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”
While the progressive wing screams “illegal war,” some moderate dems are also struggling to keep their balance. Sen. Mark Kelly acknowledged Maduro as a “brutal, illegitimate dictator” who belongs in a cage, but didn’t praise the mission, citing Iraq war flashbacks.
His fellow Arizonan, Sen. Ruben Gallego, was far more blunt: “No matter the outcome we are in the wrong for starting this war in Venezuela.”
Despite the hand-wringing, Maduro and his wife are being fitted for a jumpsuit in NYC facing narco-terrorism charges.
