Democrats have criticised US President
Donald Trump after US armed forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and carried out a “large scale” military strike in Venezuela. The Blue leaders called the operation illegal, reckless and politically motivated.
The MAGA leader said US personnel seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them out of the country over suspected narco-terrorism.
Democratic lawmakers were not happy with this annoucement and said that the GOP leader is dragging US into another unecessary war.
‘They blatantly lied to Congress’
Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey accused senior members of the Trump administration of misleading lawmakers and not getting proper approval from Congress before the attacks.
“Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress,” Kim said on X.
He said Trump bypassed constitutional safeguards because the public opposed another conflict. “This strike doesn’t represent strength. It’s not sound foreign policy. It puts Americans at risk in Venezuela and the region.”
‘The second unjustified war in my lifetime’
For veteran of the Iraq War and Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, the invasion was personal and unjustified.
“This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year,” he said. “There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”
In a follow-up post, Gallego said, “I fought in some of the hardest battles of the Iraq War. Saw my brothers die, saw civilians being caught in the crossfire all for an unjustified war.”
‘Unlimited funds for war?’
Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts questioned the administration’s violent priorities and linked the strike to American policy failures.
“Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela,” he said.
“He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans but somehow we have unlimited funds for war??”
‘No authority, no strategy’
Representative Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts said US troops deserved lawful leadership.
“The president has no authority to strike Venezuela, no strategy for a democratic transition, and no credibility that he won’t just pardon the criminal Maduro like he did the Honduran president,” he said.
He warned the operation could become a “blood for oil war”.
‘It’s not about drugs’
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed the purpose of the strike was for oil and regime change, not law enforcement.
“It’s not about drugs,” she said. “If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month. It’s about oil and regime change.”
She added that the timing of the attack raised questions. “And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”
'Trampling the Constitution’
California Senator Adam Schiff condemned both Maduro and Trump’s approach.
“Nicolás Maduro was a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela,” he said. “But starting a war to remove Maduro doesn’t just continue Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution, it further erodes America’s standing on the world stage.”
He warned that acting without approval risked regional chaos.
'Act of war'
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani in a post on X said: "I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City."
The socialist leader added: "Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law."
White House defends operation
Trump defended the move in an interview with The New York Times, calling it “brilliant” and praising US troops.
Vice President JD Vance backed the president, saying the interim Venezuelan government must decide whether to “return to the civilized world”.
Attorney General Pam Bondi later announced charges against Maduro, including “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy” and weapons offences, saying he would face justice in US courts.
Maduro was first indicted in 2020, and the US government increased its reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million last year.