Who?mikejones! said:

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Well, that was the quickest regime change I’ve ever seen or remember reading about. I have to admit, I’m surprised and, frankly, impressed that they got Maduro so quickly.

A couple of things that I think are important to remember here:

This whole thing was sold on lies (like…

— Dave Smith (@ComicDaveSmith) January 3, 2026

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Not the worst audition for "The View" I've seen.

If Xi Jinping invaded Taiwan right now, and toppled the president there, on what grounds would the United States object? Or have any credibility to say anything?

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 3, 2026

President Trump yesterday morning: Shopping for tile for the White House ballroom.

President Trump this morning: Orders strikes in Venezuela and captures Maduro.

— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) January 3, 2026

Gentlemen, I have for you, a legitimate contender for the absolutely, feebly, worst of the imbecilic bad takes. Just in case any of you are ever tempted to lend this slow witted nincompoop a shred of credibility.

Thoughts on Venezuela now the smoke has cleared.⬇️

1. Trump Doctrine. This operation was thematically similar to last summer's attack on Iranian nuclear facilities - billed as a masterstroke, collapses under scrutiny, and gives Trump cover to disengage from a foreign adventure.… pic.twitter.com/XCupv5ZZ4G

— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) January 3, 2026

"1. Trump Doctrine. This operation was thematically similar to last summer's attack on Iranian nuclear facilities - billed as a masterstroke, collapses under scrutiny, and gives Trump cover to disengage from a foreign adventure.

2. As an initial matter, this was all flagrantly illegal aggression against a sovereign state on pretenses so flimsy they're not even legally cognizable. We're literally charging Maduro with violating the National Firearms Act. Dude is going to be a martyr for the Second Amendment, I can't wait to see gun twitter jump all over this lol.

3. This was not actually regime change. Maduro was not a totalitarian law unto himself, he's an eminently replaceable Latin American kleptocrat. The Venezuelan government (to include its senior leadership) and military appear to be almost entirely intact. At the moment they're discussing simply implementing the legal line of succession through the Vice President and moving on with business as usual! In any event Trump discussing somehow picking a new government in Venezuela or exercising authority over the country's governance is a fantasy at this point, we're occupying nothing and we have no leverage.

4. Tying back into the above, all of those senior leaders and that military seem to have gotten the memo to change their bed down locations and not show up for duty last night. The assault force, flying in slow and highly vulnerable helicopters, took desultory small arms fire coming in but not the antiaircraft buzzsaw they should have run into over Caracas given the Venezuelans have had four months to prepare for war. It's unclear whether they faced any resistance at all on the ground - for all we know by that point Maduro had already been arrested by his own military and was simply handed over to the commandos. Certainly the troops were in and out very quickly, suggesting actions on the objective were largely pro forma.

5. Trump has immediately pivoted to an offramp in the Caribbean despite the fact that absolutely none of the ostensible underlying causes of our intervention are remotely resolved at this point - drugs, oil, expropriation, etc. In fact he's been quite clear the Chinese will get their oil, so he seems to consider the operation entirely concluded. As I mentioned above, this is identical to his offramp from the 12 Days' War - conduct a strike on Iranian nuclear sites that was far less impactful than it was billed as to the American public and which was actually below the retaliatory threshold of the Iranians, and then immediately declare victory and leave. This operation feels exactly as choreographed as the denouement of the 12 Days' War - conduct a flashy raid while the Venezuelan Army takes a siesta, get a scalp, declare victory and leave, after which the Venezuelan government shrugs and moves on. Perhaps the Venezuelan government will be persuaded to give US companies some oil concessions going forward."

Who?mikejones! said:

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If Xi Jinping invaded Taiwan right now, and toppled the president there, on what grounds would the United States object? Or have any credibility to say anything?

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 3, 2026

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That is the Twitter gotcha question.

The real-world geopolitical question is: Do you think the Chinese are more or less likely to do this as of today?

Dr. Mephisto said:

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We fixed the keg said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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Following very closely the situation in Venezuela. We stand by the people of Venezuela and support a peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.

With HRVP @kajakallas and in coordination with EU Member States, we are…

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 3, 2026

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Live look at Trump on the phone with the new leadership team for Venezuela as the EU tries to enter the discussion.....

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Benny Hill was a genius.

Many a night as a kid, I watched for the laughs, but also hoping to see cleavage or side-boob!

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My father-in-law and I would watch Benny Hill after the women had gone to bed, his favorite comment was "Them girls are plum D formed".

Rossticus said:

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Gentlemen, I have for you, a legitimate contender for the absolutely, feebly, worst of the imbecilic bad takes. Just in case any of you are ever tempted to lend this slow witted nincompoop a shred of credibility.

Thoughts on Venezuela now the smoke has cleared.⬇️

1. Trump Doctrine. This operation was thematically similar to last summer's attack on Iranian nuclear facilities - billed as a masterstroke, collapses under scrutiny, and gives Trump cover to disengage from a foreign adventure.… pic.twitter.com/XCupv5ZZ4G

— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) January 3, 2026

"1. Trump Doctrine. This operation was thematically similar to last summer's attack on Iranian nuclear facilities - billed as a masterstroke, collapses under scrutiny, and gives Trump cover to disengage from a foreign adventure.

2. As an initial matter, this was all flagrantly illegal aggression against a sovereign state on pretenses so flimsy they're not even legally cognizable. We're literally charging Maduro with violating the National Firearms Act. Dude is going to be a martyr for the Second Amendment, I can't wait to see gun twitter jump all over this lol.

3. This was not actually regime change. Maduro was not a totalitarian law unto himself, he's an eminently replaceable Latin American kleptocrat. The Venezuelan government (to include its senior leadership) and military appear to be almost entirely intact. At the moment they're discussing simply implementing the legal line of succession through the Vice President and moving on with business as usual! In any event Trump discussing somehow picking a new government in Venezuela or exercising authority over the country's governance is a fantasy at this point, we're occupying nothing and we have no leverage.

4. Tying back into the above, all of those senior leaders and that military seem to have gotten the memo to change their bed down locations and not show up for duty last night. The assault force, flying in slow and highly vulnerable helicopters, took desultory small arms fire coming in but not the antiaircraft buzzsaw they should have run into over Caracas given the Venezuelans have had four months to prepare for war. It's unclear whether they faced any resistance at all on the ground - for all we know by that point Maduro had already been arrested by his own military and was simply handed over to the commandos. Certainly the troops were in and out very quickly, suggesting actions on the objective were largely pro forma.

5. Trump has immediately pivoted to an offramp in the Caribbean despite the fact that absolutely none of the ostensible underlying causes of our intervention are remotely resolved at this point - drugs, oil, expropriation, etc. In fact he's been quite clear the Chinese will get their oil, so he seems to consider the operation entirely concluded. As I mentioned above, this is identical to his offramp from the 12 Days' War - conduct a strike on Iranian nuclear sites that was far less impactful than it was billed as to the American public and which was actually below the retaliatory threshold of the Iranians, and then immediately declare victory and leave. This operation feels exactly as choreographed as the denouement of the 12 Days' War - conduct a flashy raid while the Venezuelan Army takes a siesta, get a scalp, declare victory and leave, after which the Venezuelan government shrugs and moves on. Perhaps the Venezuelan government will be persuaded to give US companies some oil concessions going forward."

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….for just a sec I thought you lost your ever loving mind.

techno-ag said:

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Fox reporting Venezuelans wearing MAGA hats in the streets.

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Uhhh, where would they get those?

BadMoonRisin said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City.

Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and…

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 3, 2026

Bro, youre a glorified fire chief of a city. Sorry your commie butt buddy got arrested, but your opinion on this matter means abiut the same as mine

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Bro wasn't briefed on ***** Get real. lol. You would have tried to help these ******ed f****ts

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If he was serious, then he would arrest Trump like he plans to arrest Netanyahu....I'll bring the popcorn!!

This administration is absolute trash. Thieves, looters, thugs and war mongers. Nothing more. https://t.co/uUjdLVejgr

— Ana Kasparian (@AnaKasparian) January 3, 2026

Eh, he was just quoting an imbecile that wouldn't recognize reality if it crawled up his ass.

Squadron7 said:

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Who?mikejones! said:

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If Xi Jinping invaded Taiwan right now, and toppled the president there, on what grounds would the United States object? Or have any credibility to say anything?

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 3, 2026

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That is the Twitter gotcha question.

The real-world geopolitical question is: Do you think the Chinese are more or less likely to do this as of today?

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With Trump in office, they will not. As it should be, we have a leader who doesn't play bull**** games and protects US interests first. We are the alpha dog and need to remind the world.

Nm

rab79 said:

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Eh, he was just quoting an imbecile that wouldn't recognize reality if it crawled up his ass.

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I mean, I thought I prefaced it pretty clearly as such. lol.

Why even share it. User is probably in India or something.

They got the 2020 ones

Senate hopeful James Talarico weighs in about how you'd expect.

Last year, Trump promised American oil executives “a great deal” if they donated $1 billion to his campaign.

Today, he gave them Venezuela — home to the largest oil reserves in the world.

This new war is not only illegal and reckless; it is deeply corrupt. pic.twitter.com/n8bo15QdWo

— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) January 3, 2026

Yukon Cornelius said:

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Why even share it. User is probably in India or something.

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Comedic value. Believe it or not, that is a longstanding US based account.

Its not hard going in, its the getting out that is tricky!

Only took 88 minutes start to finish. Got out in record time with no loss of equipment or men.

Not to shabby

Le Pen turned out to be sort of a wet weenie. Continues to surprise me how many on the right cite the sovereignty of an illegitimate government opposed by its people.

Il existait mille raisons de condamner le régime de Nicolas Maduro : communiste, oligarchique et autoritaire, il faisait peser sur son peuple, depuis de trop longues années, une chape de plomb qui a plongé des millions de Vénézuéliens dans la misère - quand il ne les contraignait…

— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) January 3, 2026

"There were a thousand reasons to condemn the regime of Nicols Maduro: communist, oligarchic, and authoritarian, it had imposed on its people, for far too many years, a suffocating yoke that plunged millions of Venezuelans into miserywhen it did not force them into exile.

But there is one fundamental reason to oppose the regime change that the United States has just brought about in Venezuela. The sovereignty of states is never negotiable, regardless of their size, their power, or their continent. It is inviolable and sacred.

To renounce this principle today for Venezuela, for any state, would be to accept our own enslavement tomorrow. It would thus be a mortal peril, at a time when the 21st century is already the stage for major geopolitical upheavals that cast over humanity the constant threat of war and chaos.

All that remains for us is to hope, in the face of this situation, that a voice be given as soon as possible to the Venezuelan people. It is for them to reclaim the power to define, sovereignly and freely, the future they wish to forge as a Nation."

It is perhaps confusing to relative newcomers, but American nationalists have traditionally rather enjoyed oil and power. https://t.co/D4RtPLzWsL

— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) January 3, 2026

Deputy Travis Junior said:

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The questions about "was this a war?" are legitimate

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What war? I don't see a war.

Did someone declare war on the country of Venezuela?

I must have missed that...

Nicolas Maduro's record:

- 90%+ poverty rate
- Historic 130,060% inflation
- Second most corrupt country
- Most dangerous country in the world

Who does Ilhan Omar blame for Venezuela's dire state?

The United States of America. pic.twitter.com/ByVaxCyuOF

— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) January 3, 2026

4 said:

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Deputy Travis Junior said:

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The questions about "was this a war?" are legitimate

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What war? I don't see a war.

Did someone declare war on the country of Venezuela?

I must have missed that...

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Oh stop it. The US hasn't declared war since WWII, it's not a requirement to launch a war anymore

We aren't at war

HoustonAg2106 said:

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4 said:

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Deputy Travis Junior said:

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The questions about "was this a war?" are legitimate

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What war? I don't see a war.

Did someone declare war on the country of Venezuela?

I must have missed that...

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Oh stop it. The US hasn't declared war since WWII, it's not a requirement to launch a war anymore

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Well then I guess that answers your question. Duh.

They did this in 88 minutes because everyone knows that the Dems begin shouting "quagmire!!!" at the 90 minute mark.