For once, the Democratic Party experienced a brief and accidental brush with reality. Following the surprise overnight operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, at least one House Democrat broke ranks and acknowledged what most Americans already know, President Trump delivered overdue justice.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat not exactly known for praising Republicans, took to X to welcome Maduro’s removal. She called him the “brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela” and said his capture was welcome news for Venezuelans who fled his “violent, lawless, and disastrous rule.” That alone puts her statement miles ahead of the usual Democratic talking points.
Wasserman Schultz did add a caveat, warning that “cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows,” and expressed hope that the operation leads to democracy and the rule of law. Fine. Reasonable people can debate next steps. What matters is that she acknowledged the obvious truth, Maduro’s removal is a good thing.
Her perspective is shaped by geography as much as principle. Florida is home to a massive Venezuelan exile community, along with Cubans and others who escaped socialist disasters. Those voters know exactly who Maduro is and what his regime did. They do not need a lecture from Washington about “context.”
That made Wasserman Schultz’s response stand out sharply against the rest of her party. Most Democrats immediately launched into outrage mode, accusing President Trump of unlawfully authorizing military action and violating the Constitution. Rep. Yvette Clarke claimed the U.S. “kidnapped” a sitting president, an interesting way to describe the arrest of an indicted narco terrorist. Sen. Ruben Gallego warned darkly about repeating Iraq, even though this operation involved no invasion, no occupation, and no American casualties.
Rep. Eugene Vindman went even further, declaring that President Trump “started a war” in Venezuela. That claim collapses under even minimal scrutiny. U.S. forces executed a precise operation, captured a fugitive facing U.S. charges, and left. Wars do not typically work that way.
What this episode really exposed is the Democratic reflex to oppose anything President Trump does, even when it aligns with their own stated values. Maduro was a dictator. He crushed opposition, flooded the region with drugs, and drove millions into exile. Democrats said for years he had to go. When President Trump actually made it happen, they suddenly discovered constitutional anxiety.
Wasserman Schultz deserves credit for not playing that game, even if she could not resist a warning at the end. Her reaction proves something important. When Democrats listen to the people who lived under socialism instead of activists on social media, they sometimes get it right.
The rest of her party might want to take notes.
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