Updated Jan. 5, 2026, 3:45 p.m. ET
While many Americans were still recovering from New Year’s festivities, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro learned that his dictatorial regime had finally come to an end. It’s a good thing, too.
For more than a dozen years, Venezuelans have been oppressed by Maduro’s dictatorship, which was marked by an economic crisis, human rights abuses and the active undermining of democracy.
Per a federal court indictment, Maduro faces narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges.
I am cheering along with Venezuelans both abroad and here in the United States. Democrats should be, too, though many are not, despite acknowledging Maduro’s evil regime for years and even criticizing President Donald Trump for not removing Maduro. It’s yet another example of Democrats’ hypocrisy: They seem to hate Trump more than they want an oppressed country to be liberated. That’s pretty remarkable.
‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ is another military success
President Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and hundreds of U.S. military members carried out one of the most calculated, precise and successful military operations in my lifetime, “Operation Absolute Resolve.”
I’m impressed with the planning, foresight and flawless execution, which involved more than “150 aircraft launched from 20 bases around the Western Hemisphere, including F-35 and F-22 jets, and B-1 bombers,” Reuters reported from a briefing by Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This force for good was necessary to end an evil that permeated Venezuela, causing the country to rot from the disease of socialism. Maduro was a brutal dictator: His rule created a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Nearly 8 million people have fled Venezuela since 2014 after he came to power, more than 20% of the population.
As The Associated Press reported in August 2025, “Maduro ‒ sworn in this year despite credible evidence he lost reelection ‒ has created economic conditions that largely limited people’s access to food nationwide, with the value of wages plummeting.”
Maduro was an active threat to America, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X in July.
Trump’s daring move has not only toppled a dictator who stole the last election from his own people, hopefully allowing for their duly elected, rightful president to lead, but it has also accomplished strategic dominance in an influential country. This move by Trump stops Venezuela from courting our enemies ‒ Russia, Iran and China ‒ to act against U.S. interests.
Why are Democrats against removing a dictator?
Immediately following this historic raid, several top Democrats questioned why Trump authorized the attack and suggested it was both unauthorized and unconstitutional.
I admit I just don’t understand that reaction, and I am getting very tired of the left reflexively questioning Trump when he does something that garners applause from world leaders and the very people most affected − oppressed Venezuelans.
This same scrutiny was not applied to Democratic Presidents Joe Biden or Barack Obama during their terms. Obama did not receive explicit permission for the military operation that ultimately killed Osama bin Laden. Many Americans, including myself, applauded this.
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the authorization for use of military force. It was presumed Obama hunted and killed bin Laden under this same authority. Obama also carried out thousands of drone strikes without congressional approval, and experts then believed he was justified.
In fact, prior to this raid, Democrats were outspoken about how awful Maduro was.
In August, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris offered $25 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. Now Harris is blasting Trump for doing something their administration lacked the verve to do.
In a 2024 interview with MSNBC, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, actually thought Maduro was so bad, she claimed Trump wanted to be like him − because Trump was awful, too.
Trump not only had the authority to execute this raid but also did not take this responsibility lightly. Condemning him for deposing a dictator from the position of a free America, right as exhausted Venezuelans are cheering their newfound liberty, seems like the wrong time for Democrats to clutch their pearls and feign moral outrage.
I’m glad Trump put an end to the rule of Maduro, an actual dictator. The fact that millions around the globe are applauding the verve and gusto of this move, while the American left has the nerve to call Trump a dictator, too, is just more proof of why leftists have become lost, leaderless and irrelevant.
I hope the president can finish the job, reinstate democracy to a people who actually want it, and let Venezuelans live freely and in peace. Kudos to Trump and our military: I voted for Trump, the liberator, and I’d do so again.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
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