Vice President Vance Has a ‘PSA’ for Dems Melting Down Over ‘Illegal’ Venezuela Op – RedState
Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s illegitimate leader, is currently in custody in New York awaiting his first in-person appearance in a U.S. court, after U.S. special forces extracted him during an early morning raid in Venezuela on Saturday. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were also indicted on various charges in the Southern District of New York.
President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke to the media Saturday morning about the daring operation that captured Maduro, as RedState previously wrote.
Here are some of the images released by the White House as the operation unfolded in real time:
NEW: White House releases photos of President Trump and his national security team monitoring Venezuela mission from Mar-a-Lago pic.twitter.com/kCyPXGZGGJ
– Fox News (@FoxNews) January 3, 2026
More in a minute on some of the whispering people have been doing about who is, and isn’t, in these snapshots.
As I wrote earlier, the leading voice of opposition to Maduro’s dictatorial regime, Maria Corina Machado, made remarks Saturday after the announcement of Maduro’s capture and extradition, affirming her preference for who will immediately assume the Venezuelan presidential seat.
But the question of who will lead the country in the long term still remains unanswered.
READ MORE: Venezuela promises geopolitical game changer if Trump can turn triumph into victory
Venezuelan opposition leader Machado shares who she thinks should lead after Maduro’s capture
Our country’s leftists, however, did not take it well, suffering a massive meltdown, including New York’s new mayor, Dromcratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who quickly made a phone call with POTUS about it. Then there were the performative messages from congressional Democrats, who deplored the move as “illegal” and a “war” that was not authorized by Congress.
READ: Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani Rages Against Maduro Capture, Calls Trump on Speed Dial
Hot Spots: Trump’s middle-of-the-night operation gives Democrats heartburn
Vice President JD Vance has some bad news for them, however. First, responding to immediate reports on Venezuela, he said the administration had given the alleged drug trafficker and despot “multiple off-ramps,” then praised the U.S. military for its precise work:
The president has proposed several exit paths, but has been very clear throughout: drug trafficking must stop and stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the latest person to discover that President Trump means what he says.
Congratulations to our courageous… pic.twitter.com/b1fqkdbB4x
– JD Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
The message continues: “Congratulations to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.”
Vance turned to any of the conflicted Democrats on the matter, adding this timely PSA:
And a PSA for everyone who says it’s “illegal”:
Maduro is the subject of several indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You can’t escape justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.
– JD Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
Boom. In addition, if they have additional questions, AG Bondi offers to consult the full costs.
Some on social media wondered why the vice president was not present in the Situation Room photos or at the president’s news conference. Now there’s an explanation, according to Fox News White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie:
Vice President VANCE met with TRUMP in West Palm Beach today Friday to discuss the strikes. He was not physically at Mar a Lago during the strikes but joined via secure video line.
Return to Cincinnati once the operation is completed.
The White House is “trying to limit co-location of POTUS and VP while they are away from the White House due to heightened security concerns,” Fox News reported.
In the meantime, Rubio could add other tasks to his workload:
Rubio realizes that he will become president of Venezuela, governor of Cuba and Shah of Iran. pic.twitter.com/wh5S2gpIi9
– Antonio García Martínez (agm.eth) (@antoniogm) January 3, 2026
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and the bold leadership of his administration, we are respected on the world stage and our enemies are put on notice.
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