The Three Hour War in Venezuela

Trump won the war first and then had the military fight it.

Nobel laureate María Corina Machado backs installing Edmundo González as president.

While most Americans were sleeping, the American military dropped a few bombs on Fort Tiuna—Venezuela’s largest military base—and arrested Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who face a federal indictment in New York for narco-terrorism and related charges. Peace through strength works best when you add stealth and speed.

The arrest comes on the 36th anniversary of the surrender of Panamanian dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega to the USA after two weeks of war. He faced similar federal charges and after his conviction received a 40 year sentence. In 2017, he was released to home confinement ahead of brain surgery but died at 83 from complications from that surgery.

23 American troops died in the Two Week War in Panama. No Americans died in this one.

The American media calls Maduro president, but more than 100 countries do not recognize his government as legitimate including Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Paraguay and of course, the USA. Make no mistake, this was not Trump against the world. This was Trump doing the world a big favor.

There is no doubt that Maduro stole the 2024 election and there is some evidence that he helped Obama steal the 2020 election for Biden.

However, Biden raised the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $25 million. Trump doubled that.

The attack began at 1 a.m. Eastern and Trump announced its success at 4:30 a.m. Gilligan had his three hour tour. Trump has his Three Hour War.

The Monroe Doctrine is now the Donroe Doctrine. Teddy Roosevelt said talk softly and carry a big stick. Donald Trump says talk loudly and carry two-by-fours.

ABC reported:

Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement. Members of Congress said the military, which sources included the elite Delta Force, was in place to support that law enforcement operation.

There were no immediate reports of U.S. military deaths during the operation. However Trump and Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said some Americans were injured and that a helicopter was hit.

“I spoke with Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio this morning. He did share that we did have wounded personnel, but no one killed, but that is never guaranteed in advance,” Cotton said on Fox News.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado dedicated her award to Trump. She knew.

While Machado is popular and world-renowned, Venezuelans elected Edmundo González president in 2024 after Maduro kicked Machado off the ballot. She 100% backs having González assume the presidency. He exiled himself to Spain but plans to return next Saturday to take the oath as president.

Trump fulfilled his obligations under the War Powers Act of 1973, which is an unconstitutional restriction on the role of the commander in chief, but you prioritize your battles and fight them accordingly.

But news outlets never let facts get in the way of the narrative. The editorial board of the New York Times was quick to opine that “Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise.”

The editorial said:

Few people will feel any sympathy for Mr. Maduro. He is undemocratic and repressive, and has destabilized the Western Hemisphere in recent years. The United Nations recently issued a report detailing more than a decade of killings, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary detention by henchmen against his political opponents. He stole Venezuela’s presidential election in 2024. He has fueled economic and political disruption throughout the region by instigating an exodus of nearly eight million migrants.

The few people who feel sympathy for Maduro include the elitists of New York who will never forgive Trump for saving Midtown Manhattan, the Plaza and the Central Park ice rink. Egads. The man was born in Queens.

The Times argument actually proved Trump did the right thing and did it swiftly.

The United States spent 20 years failing to create a stable government in Afghanistan and replaced a dictatorship in Libya with a fractured state. The tragic consequences of the 2003 war in Iraq continue to beset America and the Middle East. Perhaps most relevant, the United States has sporadically destabilized Latin American countries, including Chile, Cuba, Guatemala and Nicaragua, by trying to oust a government through force.

Unlike Bush and Obama, Trump has a successor in place. Trump won’t spend 20 years searching for one after going in without a plan. Trump won the war first and then had the military fight it.

Three hours.

That’s all it took.

The editorial said, “The Constitution requires Congress to approve any act of war.”

False. The Constitution makes the president commander-in-chief. As such, he does not need congressional approval before making every move.

Trump controls the military this time. The Silly Milleys who work for Red China are gone. Karol Markowicz tweeted, “Additionally impressive that they pulled this off with no leaks to the media. [war consigliere] Pete Hegseth is running a tight ship.”

Salena Zito replied, “Add that it is being reported this was supposed to happen four days ago but delayed because of weather and that no leaks happened in that span of time is really quite remarkable.”

The Maduro dynasty died.

The New York Post reported, “Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has also fled to Russia. Meanwhile, Maduro’s son Nicholas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, who’s known as ‘The Prince,’ is being charged alongside his parents for the illegal trafficking of thousands of tons of cocaine.”

A month ago, Maduro told Trump, “Come for me, I am waiting for you...coward!”

Wish granted.

Bloomberg reported, “[Red] China said it’s ‘deeply shocked’ by the U.S.’s military strikes on Venezuela and its capture of President Nicolas Maduro.”

Russia also expressed its shock.

Good. They should be deeply awed as well.

Every dictator on the planet should fear Trump’s willingness to use the American military’s ability to destroy nuclear missile sites, Tomahawk terrorist training camps and arrest dictators in their own homes. Waiting for Democrats to take back the White House did not work for Maduro. Who else won’t it work for?

The War on Terrorism has improved America’s military capabilities. No more waiting 10 years to catch an Osama bin Laden.

Trump warned Colombia and Mexico.

To taint Trump’s latest international victory, Democrats are grasping at straws—of course paper ones, not plastic.

RNC Research tweeted:

Vermont Democrat Becca Balint FUMES over the capture of narcoterrorist Nicolas Maduro.

BALINT: “Look, I’m angry... this was not necessary.”

Whose side is she on?

If you have to ask, you know the answer.

Politico reported, “‘Iraq 2.0’: Democrats seethe at Trump’s surprise Venezuela strike

“The operation quickly united rank-and-file lawmakers behind a message that the president illegally bypassed Congress and has no plan for the aftermath.”

Yawn. The party is as predictable as the Jets missing the playoffs.

What is not predictable is Trump’s next move. He’s crazy—crazy as a fox.

But we can speculate. Marco Rubio said about Cuba, “Yeah, look, if I lived in Havana and I worked in the government, I’d be concerned.”

And we know when it will occur—on a holiday night or the wee hours of a Saturday or Sunday.

While we slept this morning, the American military kept us safe and liberated an oil-rich nation of 28 million people from an evil drug lord. Our servicemen did it with force, speed and accuracy. God bless them all.