Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Takes Venezuela by Storm

Hopefully, you know the outline of the story by now. Early yesterday morning, at President Trump's direction, US military assaulted and invaded Caracas, Venezuela, and captured the dictator, Nicholas Maduras, and his wife and son, pursuant to an arrest warrant previously issued in the southern district of New York on narcotics trafficking charges. You might imagine the reactions from the usual suspects. We'll pick up the rest of the story here. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Trump Captures Maduro, Wife; Both Face Trial in New York. From WaEx, Maduro ‘captured’ and taken out of Venezuela after US military operation in Caracas: Trump. News Wax, Trump: Venezuela's Maduro 'Captured' After 'Large-Scale Strike'. Don Surber on the The Three Hour War in Venezuela. "Trump won the war first and then had the military fight it." Ombre de Oliver, Maduro Adios? "Venezuela Insta-analysis." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, More Maduro Raid Info Pouring In, Trump Calls Into Fox News, Presser Upcoming. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal hear Trump Announce a Major Victory in Venezuelan Drug War. Teri Christoph at RedState, Breaking: Trump Updates World on 'Operation Absolute Resolve' – and Reveals Who Will Now Run Venezuela, "We are going to run the country [Venezuela] until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition." Althouse hosts Trump's press conference this morning and "[Maduro] was trying to get into [his safe room], but he got bum-rushed so fast that he didn’t get into that.... I watched it literally like I was watching a television show." "And if you would have seen the speed, the violence, you know, they say that, the speed, the violence, they used that term, it was just an amazing thing, an amazing job that these people did — nobody else could have done anything like it." Also, Things I found when I created a new tag — "Trump and Venezuela" — and went back into the archive to add it to old posts. Ace, Trump Orders Air Strikes on Venezuela, Sends In Delta Force to Capture Nicolas Madura and His Wife, "My mood, thanks to Michael the Texan. Michael(Poltfan) JapanDayTripper)) @PoltFan69, "Snatching Maduro is the single most significant clandestine op by the US military in 60+ years. They've never gone in and grabbed a sitting head of state with no preceeding war or military ops. They just fucking black bagged him with impunity in his own country. Goddamn." InfantryDort @infantrydort, "Well @PeteHegseth isn’t messing around. Neither is the department he leads. Purpose, direction, and motivation go a long way." Quote Sir Nathan @SirNathan52, "Replying to @infantrydort "That was one impressive operation. I’ll admit it: after so many years of neglecting and reshaping the military, I was worried that they couldn’t pull things like that off. Congratulations, and well done." John Lucas at Bravo Blue, American Credibility Restored (Again). Wes O'Donnell, How the US Military Executed the Venezuela Attack. "For adversaries watching from Moscow, Beijing, or Tehran, this operation should be unsettling." Ryan Saavedra @RyanSaavedra "The domino effect from Trump's operation to capture Maduro could be massive: 1. Damages Cuba's communist regime, puts them on the brink of collapse 2. Could energize the Iranian people to overthrow their regime as protests get more intense 3. Damages Russia and China and their foothold in Latin America" Quote Bill Ackman @BillAckman, "The removal of Maduro will lower oil prices, which is good for America and very bad for Russia. A weaker Russian economy will increase the probability that the war in Ukraine ends sooner and on more favorable terms for Ukraine." Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "The 10 Best Things About Trump’s Venezuela Victory: 10. America’s enemies are terrified 9. Democrats went from siding with Somali fraudsters early in the week to communist narco terrorists who ignored democracy by the weekend 8. Libertarians are upset 7. Unleashing Venezuela's oil production will screw the Iranians and the Russians 6. We blew up Chavez’s tomb. Screw that guy." OC Scanner @OC_Scanner, "It’s pretty clear at this point where leaks come from." Quote AZ Intel @AZ_Intel_, "The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee was not notified ahead of time of any potential military action in Venezuela, source said. - CNN." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "China didn't know. Their special envoy had met with Maduro to pledge undying support only hours before he was swept away." Blume Industries CEO Balding 大老板 @BaldingsWorld, "When I so regularly say think it through, here is what I mean. A) you can be darn sure US knew of the travelling envoy and tracked them B) this gave them Maduro location at precise point and time C) This sets of alarm bells in China about somebody possibly passing information or how US can easily track Chinese personnel D) This sets of alarm bells among despots now worried about meeting openly or even collaborating openly with China that much. On and on and on. You see how this works?" Quote Rush Doshi@RushDoshi, "Wild that only hours before America captured Maduro, China sent an envoy to meet him. And just a few weeks before that, China issued a new White Paper insisting on its role in Latin America." Adam Wren @aswren, "I love the unstated implication here that it’s ‘the law’ stopping China from invading Taiwan and not Lockheed Martin and a quarter of a million corn fed americans." Quote Gideon Rachman @gideonrachman "So when China launches a special op to seize the president of Taiwan: or Russia tries to do the same for Zelensky - what exactly do we say? You can’t do that, it’s illegal?" Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "I voted for Trump to not get us involved in useless, endless wars. A surgical strike on narco-terrorist facilities in our hemisphere that murder thousands of Americans, coupled with a precision extraction of the lawless bandit in charge, is not a useless, endless war." Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, " RUSSIA SENT $6B IN MILITARY AID TO VENEZUELA… AND U.S. AIRSTRIKES BLEW IT UP IN HOURS According to reports, Russia had been shipping $6 billion worth of military aid to Venezuela, including modern air defense systems meant to shield the Maduro regime. But here's the kicker: those defenses were reportedly wiped out by U.S. airstrikes near Caracas and the port of La Guaira during the operation that led to Maduro’s capture. Six billion dollars of Russian military hardware… turned into scrap metal overnight. Yet, Venezuela had all that foreign backing, all that tech, and they still couldn’t stop a single U.S. raid. The message to Moscow? You can arm dictators all you want, but when America actually shows up, your “toys” don’t matter." Insty, ONE DOUBTS THE VENEZUELAN SOLDIERY IS HIGHLY MOTIVATED.

🚨 HOLY CRAP! This might just be the most EPIC Trump post of all time

Trump posted a video of Maduro CHALLENGING 47 to “come get me,” followed up by a screaming Bald Eagle & Thunderstruck blaring in the background during missile fire 🇺🇸🦅

Trump said “challenge accepted” 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/3IPKUnGRtM

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 3, 2026

Vijeta Uniyal at LI hears China, Russia, Iran Condemn Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro; Hezbollah Decries ‘American Arrogance’. "EU says it is “closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela”; UK Prime Minister Starmer: “I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved.”" We figured. News Wax reports Cuba Presidency Condemns 'State Terrorism' in Venezuela. 

This is absolutely how it went down and you can’t convince me otherwise. pic.twitter.com/v8jje6L6PI

— 🥀 🖤𝔏𝔦𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔫 𝔊𝔬𝔱𝔥🖤🥀 (@LibertarianG0th) January 3, 2026

Around the world, exiled Venezuelans cheered while Trump critics bitched and moaned. Inevitable West @Inevitablewest, "BREAKING: Thousands of Venezuelans are waking up and celebrating the news of Communist dictator Maduro being captured by US forces The Legacy Media won't show you this." Germania Rodriguez Poleo @iamGermania , "WE VENEZUELANS LOVE IT BECAUSE IT WAS THAT MOTHERFUCKER WHO UNLEASHED THE WORST TRAGEDY OUR HEMISPHERE HAS SEEN IN RECENT HISTORY!!!! WOOOOHOOOOO." Quote Daniel @growing_daniel, "Blowing up Hugo Chavez’s body because fuck it why not while we’re down here." Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BOOM! Venezuelan man GOES OFF on the Left for protesting Donald Trump’s arrest of Maduro “Where were all of you LIBERALS!? You said nothing and YOU DID NOTHING. Now you CARE about human rights? Kidnapping? Trump REMOVED our kidnapper!” Joey Mannarino @JoeyMannarino "I’m with some Cubans right now and they’re literally crying tears of joy. Venezuelans are celebrating all over the globe too. If anyone thinks this military operation was a bad idea you have NO idea how many votes we just gained for the midterms. Trump is now the absolute hero of the Latin Americans." Wagner Paiva Fernandes (Tesla is CHOAM) @WagnerTesla, "We Brazilians love it as well cause we can once again dream about being free from the Narcos." Venezuela is FREE!"

 Driscoll at Insty, BEN “LONESOME” RHODES HAS A SAD: Joe Concha @JoeConchaTV "So so we’re keeping score at home… The former author turned national security expert under Obama… who did absolutely nothing to stop Iran’s nuclear capabilities or narco terrorism… has a really big problem with an administration that’s actually something about these things. Ben also supported thousands of drone strikes on innocent people, including Americans overseas… so there’s also that…" Quote Ben Rhodes @brhodes "Bombing Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran with no legal basis, coherent rationale or even public debate. And Trump seems to just be getting started." Althouse says I hope James Carville is doing satire. "About 24 hours ago, I said out loud, here at Meadhouse, "I'm waiting for Trump haters to say this was done to distract us from Epstein." I'd like to think anyone saying that is doing satire, but James Carville really commits:" Insty says LOL, PETE BUTTIGIEG. A Driscolly post at Insty, COMRADE MAMDANI SLAMS TRUMP’S ILLEGAL MADURO ARREST ON BEHALF OF NYC VENEZUELANS. (WHO WANTS TO TELL HIM?) Twitchy, Mamdani Slams Trump's Illegal Maduro Arrest on Behalf of NYC Venezuelans (Who Wants to Tell Him?) DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "Zohran, the Venezuelans in New York City are there because Maduro made their country unlivable and pushed them out. And most likely they are celebrating right now in NYC's streets. Go explain to your own Venezuelan constituents why they shouldn't be celebrating instead of virtue signaling about it on 𝕏." Herr Professor Jacobson at LI, Maduro Arrives In Big Apple as Mayor Mamdani Fumes (Update: Perp Walk Video) "If Mamdani interfered in any way (like he threatened to interfere if Netanyahu came to NYC), he would likely be arrested by the feds, so he’ll just fume." The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee "Democrats Confused Why Venezuelans Cheering Downfall Of Nice, Warm Collectivism." The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Aides Tell Disappointed Trump That Maduro And Mamdani Are Different People."

Driscoll, “WE’RE IN JEN RUBIN’S WORLD:” Erick Erickson @EWErickson, "We’re in Jen Rubin’s world. She famously supported moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and opposed it the moment Trump did what she wanted. Same with bombing Iran. All these people wanted Maduro gone, they just didn’t want Trump being the one to do it." VodkaPundit at Insty, PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS." Hat Hair's Dave Strom, The Maduro Defenders Come Out; UPDATE: Perfect Trump Troll. Rob Jenkins @profontheright, "For the first time in years, the Democrats are opposed to a Venezuelan criminal entering our country." Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter, "Democrats started the week excusing Somali fraud and are ending it being mad that we captured an indicted narcoterrorist communist who led a coup against Democracy. Great work." Peter McCormack @PeterMcCormack, "All the socialists retards are coming out to condemn what is happening in Venezuela, while all the Venezuelans are celebrating. The people who want us to turn into a socialist hell hole don't even know the reality inside Venezuela, while the Venezuelans will tell you don't try this shit. . . " At Twitchy, Let's Check in With How Lefties on Bluesky Are Dealing With Trump Announcing the Capture of Maduro. Insty, LEFTISTS WILL SUPPORT ANYONE WHO HATES AMERICA AND THE WEST: Adam Zivo @ZivoAdam, "My online feed includes Venezuelans celebrating Maduro’s ouster, Iranians praying for their own revolution, and some Western leftists doing their best to whitewash the brutal autocracies in Caracas and Tehran." Drew Pavlou @DrewPavlou, "This right here is the reason I joined the right. They hate Trump so much that they end up defending a disgusting brutal communist dictatorship, an elite commissar class that lived like kings while starving millions. Fuck the left. God bless the USA." The Ben Shapiro Show @BenShapiroShow, "Don't defend communist dictators like Nicolás Maduro." Max @MaxNordau, "Reactions to the flawless Venezuela operation demonstrates that a lot of the “America First” talking points are just third-world anti-American propaganda in a skin suit."

Althouse notices Elon Musk loves the idea of Rubio as "president of Venezuela, governor of Cuba, and the Shah of Iran." and Rubio reposts what he said last July. Joe Chalfont at TownHall, The Nicolas Maduro Memes Are Already Here. I found them a little disappointing.

The WaPoo's Marc Theisen opines on The 20 best things Trump did in 2025 "The accomplishments of a stunning year can’t be captured in just 10 items." He also did a worst 10. Inez Stepman @InezFeltsche, "This analysis is a good example of what has really been bugging me lately. It’s been one year. Trump II is in the process of paradigm-shifting victories on immigration, presidential control over the executive, and the enforcement of the CRA against the many illegalities of the racial reckoning. It has demonstrated willingness to cut higher Ed’s federal lifeline to force institutions to their knees. It’s forced the legal definition of sex back into the law. It is rooting out billions in public support for the institutional leftist machine. Progress in each of these areas is tangible, I can list cases, firings, funding cuts, and lawsuits, not just rhetoric. And yet people whine because the world hasn’t been completely and utterly transformed in a mere 360ish days, and there’s still work left to do. What did you expect? 20M deportations overnight? Did it occur to you that that’s a massively difficult logistical feat to organize, and would take some time even if they WEREN’T fighting a recalcitrant system? Did you think there really was a fix everything switch? . . . " Quote, Christopher F. Rufo @christopherrufo, "No, Nixon couldn't "crush" the Great Society, much less the New Deal, in 1969, or even in 1973 after his 49-state landslide. This is ridiculous history, and, by comparison, Trump has less power over a state that is more entrenched. There is no magic "regime change button."" Hat Hair's Stephen Moore notes The Economists Got 2025 All Wrong. Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@ZitoSalena: Trump has a way with Pennsylvania. This interview shows why." Jim Fanell at Am Great says Damn the Deep State’s Torpedoes: Full Speed Ahead for America’s ‘Golden Fleet’ "Trump’s Golden Fleet fight isn’t really about battleships—it’s about whether Washington has the will to rebuild American naval power or let bureaucracy and budgets sink it."

Matt Margolis at PJM says Now We Know Why Democrats Are Defending Somali Fraud, it's the kickbacks, stupid! Matt Vespa at TownHall, If the Media Is Saying This About the YouTuber Who Exposed Somali Fraud in MN, Then He Nailed It Tom Elliott @tomselliott "MSNBC on @nickshirleyy: "A content creator who has posted inaccurate & anti-immigrant videos in the past."" Amy Curtis, Somali Embassy in Serbia Loses It as Fraud Reporting Hits Home. Libs of TikTok@libsoftiktok "OH MY GOD The Somali Embassy in Serbia just dmed me telling me to “stop laying about Somalia” They must have learned how to spell in the quality learing center." VodkaPundit at Insty, I DUNNO, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE AT “2025” IN “2015”.

Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "Matt Taibbi on his disgust at Mehdi Hassan, Jamal Bowman, and Hasan Piker doing USSR nostalgia at Mamdani’s victory party: ‘I could fill a whole book with stories of horrible things I heard and saw from eyewitnesses to the Soviet history. And to see people laughing about that shit, I can’t even describe the emotions. When I saw some of those clips [from Mamdani’s party], I went through in my mind, I started cataloging all the top 20 or 30 awful things that I heard, and I just want to share one. . . ." The View from North Central Idaho, The Warmth Comes from the Fire of Gunpowder and/or Ovens.

UPI has the sads as a Federal appellate court okays Planned Parenthood funding halt. From the College Fix, ‘Minority serving institutions’ are unconstitutional, DOJ says.

Techo Fog looks at J6 Pipe Bomber Skepticism: Justified? He doesn't think so. I think they got the right guy.

Francis Menton, the Manhattan Contrarian explains why There Is Much More To The Immigration Issue Than Just The GDP Effect.

Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal, "CATHERINE HERRIDGE: WHY X BECAME THE CENTER OF REAL JOURNALISM Catherine is laying out something legacy newsrooms still refuse to admit out loud. Reach is no longer about cable slots or front pages. It’s about access to decision makers, business leaders, and highly engaged readers in the same place, at the same time. That’s why independent journalism didn’t just survive the collapse of trust in corporate media. It moved to X and took the audience with it. . . ." From NewsBusters, Who Can't Handle the Truth? Clooney Rants Bari Weiss Is 'Dismantling' the Bias of CBS News, or at least damping it down a bit.