President Donald Trump's "America First" campaign promise of "no new wars" was detonated over the weekend with an act of war in Venezuela. The U.S. military attacked Venezuela early Saturday morning, abducting its leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who now face narco-terrorism charges in a New York federal court. Eighty Venezuelan and Cuban citizens were killed by U.S. gunfire and airstrikes.
The attack has been described as "barbaric" and "illegal" by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who called for the release of Maduro and vowed to defend Venezuela's natural resources. Trump described the attack as "successful" and "perfectly executed," but the administration is already threatening further military action against Venezuela and other sovereign nations.
Trump has also threatened to attack Iran over its violent crackdowns on protesters, writing on social media that the U.S. is "locked and loaded and ready to go." The Trump administration has taken aim at Cuba and Colombia, hinted at intervention in Mexico, renewed annexation aspirations in Greenland, and reiterated threats to Iran.
The attack on Venezuela marks a significant escalation of Trump's aggressive foreign policy, which has already involved military strikes in Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The administration has also continued to arm Israel as it violates the ceasefire with Hamas, grinding the genocide in Gaza into a third year.
Critics have labeled Trump's actions as an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government, citing court orders being ignored, MAGA loyalists being put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies, and the Department of Government Efficiency stripping Congress of its power of the purse. Many are covering this development like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as "unconventional," "testing the boundaries," and "aggressively flexing power."
However, some journalists and organizations have stepped up to challenge Trump's actions, including The Intercept, which has been fighting back against the administration's efforts to dismantle the free press. The organization is now looking for support from its members to expand its reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how far Trump will push his aggressive foreign policy agenda and what consequences it will have for democracy and human rights around the world.
The attack has been described as "barbaric" and "illegal" by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who called for the release of Maduro and vowed to defend Venezuela's natural resources. Trump described the attack as "successful" and "perfectly executed," but the administration is already threatening further military action against Venezuela and other sovereign nations.
Trump has also threatened to attack Iran over its violent crackdowns on protesters, writing on social media that the U.S. is "locked and loaded and ready to go." The Trump administration has taken aim at Cuba and Colombia, hinted at intervention in Mexico, renewed annexation aspirations in Greenland, and reiterated threats to Iran.
The attack on Venezuela marks a significant escalation of Trump's aggressive foreign policy, which has already involved military strikes in Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The administration has also continued to arm Israel as it violates the ceasefire with Hamas, grinding the genocide in Gaza into a third year.
Critics have labeled Trump's actions as an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government, citing court orders being ignored, MAGA loyalists being put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies, and the Department of Government Efficiency stripping Congress of its power of the purse. Many are covering this development like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as "unconventional," "testing the boundaries," and "aggressively flexing power."
However, some journalists and organizations have stepped up to challenge Trump's actions, including The Intercept, which has been fighting back against the administration's efforts to dismantle the free press. The organization is now looking for support from its members to expand its reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how far Trump will push his aggressive foreign policy agenda and what consequences it will have for democracy and human rights around the world.
... like, what's next? Attacking Canada or something?! 
I mean, I get that he's got some serious issues with Venezuela, but come on, 80 people dead? That's not "success" to me, it's just plain brutal 
. And can we talk about how this is basically an authoritarian takeover of the US government? Like, what's next, having the military run the country? 
. And can we please, please, please have some more fact-checking and journalism on this stuff? The Intercept is doing some great work, but we need more voices speaking out against this kind of aggressive foreign policy 
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this is a big deal...trump's "america first" promise was supposed to mean no more wars but now he's gone and gotten us into another one in venezuela 
. i'm not surprised though, his whole campaign was about being tough on others and making america great again, even if it means taking out its frustrations on the world stage 
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. and what about the people who get hurt in all this? 80 venezuelans were killed by us military actions, that's not something to be proud of 
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This is getting outta hand, bro... 
And what about human rights? 80 people are dead and many more injured. That's not something you can just sweep under the rug. 
The free press is getting shut down, journalists are being silenced... this is a dark day for democracy. We need some critical thinking here, folks! 
trump's actions are straight up crazy! like he thinks he can just do whatever he wants without anyone questioning him? newsflash, dude, you're not above the law 
let's keep pushing for transparency and accountability 
Anyway, it's getting pretty out of hand with Iran and Cuba next on the chopping block. Hasn't Trump learned that the world doesn't work like a Twitter thread 
? And what's up with this "locked and loaded" shtick? Is he trying to start a fight or just show off his gun collection 
? The fact that 80 people died in Venezuela is just sickening 
. We need to keep an eye on this one, for sure 
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this is a really scary time for humanity... like what's next? usa attacking other countries left and right 
they need to wake up and see how their actions are affecting others 
it's not just about the us anymore, it's about the world 
. I'm not sure if anyone is paying attention to what's going on here, or if people are just too afraid to speak out 
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no new wars? more like new wars every weekend 
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and we saw some of the most beautiful sunsets ever 
. I'm telling you, the colors are just incredible... anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Trump's foreign policy thingy. I mean, I don't really get it. Can't he just focus on fixing our own country issues instead of going around the world causing trouble? 
And what's with all these countries that are getting invaded? Don't they have enough problems already? It's like, can't we all just get along and share our resources or something? 
I know some people might say I'm naive, but honestly, I just think it's weird how powerful a person can be without using their power for good. Anyway, back to my road trip... have you guys tried that new coffee shop downtown? Their iced lattes are insane 
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it's like he's declaring war on democracy itself