Early on Jan. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump launched a military operation against Venezuela. The Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro Moros, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, were both captured by U.S. forces and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City to face charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, and related offenses.

President Trump said he regards this operation as a success, as no American soldiers were killed, and they were able to capture Maduro following years of non-recognition of Maduro’s government by the United States and 50 other countries, and accusations of his involvement in drug trafficking. The operation was not completely free of bloodshed. According to BBC News, “Donald Trump acknowledges ‘many, many’ Cubans were killed during what he calls the ‘brilliant’ military operation in which Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro was seized.”

The Cuban government, which provided many of the security forces for Maduro, released a statement that 32 Cubans lost their lives during the incident. Meanwhile, the remaining Venezuelan government, under former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, claimed that the total death toll was 57, including two civilian women.

Why Maduro and his Wife were Captured

The effort is the culmination of years of tension between the U.S. and Venezuela. The U.S. has refused to recognize Maduro’s government since 2019, considering him illegitimate after contested elections. The U.S. State Department notes that in March of 2020, “Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.” According to Reuters, the indictment alleged Maduro, his wife, and other Venezuelan leaders have, for more than 25 years, “abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States.”

USA Today stated that the first Trump administration placed a “reward of $15 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction on drug trafficking and weapons charges.” The Biden Administration agreed with the need to remove Maduro from power, increasing the reward to $25 million. When Trump returned to power, his new administration raised it again to $50 million. 

According to CBS News, at Maduro and Flores’ arraignment on Jan. 7, they pleaded not guilty to their drug trafficking and other charges. 

Congressional fallout and what is next

After the operation, some news sources and politicians complained that President Trump had launched this military operation without receiving prior congressional approval. The Brennan Center for Justice reported that, “a bipartisan group in Congress is working toward a war powers resolution to reassert its constitutional power.”

Others argue that, as this action was not technically a declaration of war, President Trump’s actions did not call for Congressional approval. Some have compared it to the 1989 invasion of Panama when President George H.W. Bush used his authority as Commander-in-Chief to send 20,000 troops to Panama to capture indicted drug trafficker and Panama President Manuel Noriega. 

Still, some believe Trump’s action against a sovereign country was uncalled for and represents a need to curb presidential power when it comes to overseas attacks. There is even talk at the capital about passing legislation to prevent the Trump administration from achieving its stated goal of controlling and overseeing the sale of oil production in Venezuela.

The Hill reported that, “Five Senate Republicans voted Thursday (Jan. 8th, 2026) to advance a bipartisan resolution on the War Powers Act to block President Trump from using military force against Venezuela, a proposal that if enacted would unravel the administration’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil exports.” The president has since openly condemned these senators, heavily criticizing the support of the bipartisan piece of legislation.

“Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America,” CNN reports President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Jan. 8, 2026.

Next up: Greenland?

Venezuela is not the only foreign country Trump appears to have his eye on. Last week, the president also reiterated claims about annexing or buying Greenland and turning it into a United States territory, despite the fact that Greenland is a territory of NATO-member Denmark.

The reason President Trump is so keen on gaining control of Greenland stems from a number of strategic advantages that the country would provide to the United States. Greenland possesses natural resources that the United States would benefit from accessing, such as oil and rare-earth minerals. Many of these minerals are used to produce items such as electric vehicles, smartphones, and solar panels. As the climate crisis progresses, these minerals will become much easier to mine out of Greenland due to the ice melting. 

Controlling Greenland would also give America safe access to additional northern trading routes that it wants to protect from Russian or Chinese control. According to CNN, “Greenland lies between the US and Europe and astride the so-called GIUK gap – a maritime passage between Greenland, Iceland, and the UK that links the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean. This location makes it essential for controlling access to the North Atlantic, for both trade and security.

Prior to the military operation in Venezuela, the President had made numerous comments about his desire to acquire Greenland as United States territory. “When discussing his desire to acquire Greenland last year, Trump notably refused to rule out military force to annex the territory,” stated Time Magazine.

Some argue that the successful capture of the Venezuelan President has encouraged President Trump to increase his efforts to claim Greenland. “That notion was revisited this week when the White House released a statement that said ‘utilizing the ‌U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal,’” said The Times.

Some citizens of Greenland are beginning to express concern about these continuous threats, anxious that the president might actually follow through on his threats of using United States military forces to seize this island territory.

Questions about overseas entanglements

The issue that some have with the operation in Venezuela is not the operation itself, but the question: “What about us?” The President ran his 2025 campaign on putting America first, and that includes the citizens. Some fear that interfering in other countries’ politics while the United States is having its own problems is not the wisest course of action, especially with many Americans struggling to pay for food and housing. These same people watch as the government takes charge of another country’s government to “fix” it and leave.

Democrats, Independents, and even some Republicans claim that Trump’s actions are failing to put America first, as the current President had promised in his campaign. Still, others celebrate a U.S. they argue is “back on top” again in the world. For better or for worse, the only action American citizens can take at this time is to watch and wait.