Senior Democrat, Bucking Party’s Knee-Jerking Reaction, Praises Trump’s Capture Of ‘Illegitimate’ Maduro

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat with a large Venezuelan population in her district, went against her party Saturday to hail President Donald Trump’s capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Wasserman Schultz said the U.S. military operation to oust Maduro from power was “good news” for millions of Venezuelans living in exile, although she argued Congress should have known about it. Conversely, a chorus of congressional Democrats immediately criticized the successful military operation, calling it illegal and contrary to U.S. interests. (RELATED: “The full wrath of American justice”: Trump admin announces indictment of Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro)

“The capture of Venezuela’s brutal and illegitimate leader, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed the Venezuelan people is good news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless and disastrous regime,” Wasserman Schultz wrote on X Saturday morning.

The South Florida Democrat, who notably chaired the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2011 to 2016, also called for a “liberated Venezuela” characterized by democratic rule, arguing that “cutting off the head of a snake is useless if it only grows back.”

“This action offers embattled Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González,” Wasserman Schultz continued.

Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago on January 3, 2026, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela. (Photo by Javier TORRES / AFP via Getty Images)

Florida Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, who represents a district south of Orlando, also hailed the operation as a “major step toward a #FreeVenezuela,” referring to a “free Venezuela” in a Saturday X article. However, Soto also criticized the president for not seeking congressional approval, which the Trump administration said was not necessary.

Other Democrats in Congress, who have been trying for months to restrict Trump’s authority to use military force against Venezuela, have criticized the military operation.

“Second unjustified war of my lifetime. This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we have gone from global cop to global bully in less than a year,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego wrote on X shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. “There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”

“[S]Starting a war to remove Maduro not only continues Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution, it further erodes America’s standing on the world stage and risks our adversaries mirroring this illegal and brazen escalation,” California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, a vocal Trump critic, said Saturday.

Republicans, meanwhile, dispute that the United States is at war with Venezuela and the Trump administration has not said it is considering additional military action.

Many Florida lawmakers enthusiastically supported the arrest of Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, who were indicted on federal charges Saturday in the Southern District of New York.

“Maduro’s narcodictatorship is OVER,” Rep. María Elvira Salazar, who represents a South Florida district covering downtown Miami, wrote on X. “The narcoterrorist who poisoned our children, exported crime to our neighborhoods via the Tren de Aragua and transformed Venezuela into a state of terror will now face justice in the United States.”

“This is peace through strength on full display,” Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the military operation, said Saturday. “Today, America and the world are a safer place.”

South Florida is home to the largest Venezuelan diaspora in the United States. About 40 percent of the residents of Doral, Florida – a city west of Miami – are of Venezuelan descent.

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