ARIZONA January 3, 2026 – Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, calling the operation a “war of occupation” and accusing the administration of failing to provide a clear rationale to the American public.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) late Saturday, Gallego shared a clip from his appearance on NBC News, where he argued that the shifting justifications for the intervention—from oil to drug trafficking—undermine its legitimacy. “Just an idea. If you can’t give the American people a straight answer for why you’re going to war, you shouldn’t be allowed to go to war,” Gallego wrote, accompanying the video that has since garnered over 600 likes and sparked heated debate.
The clip features Gallego speaking remotely to an NBC anchor, highlighting what he described as inconsistent messaging from the White House. “The problem is like so far that message has changed so many times now it’s oil. Now we’re going to control the government. Now it’s that yes maybe it’s drugs but also just about three weeks ago you also pardoned a former president of Honduras who was also convicted of drug dealer,” Gallego said. He dismissed the operation as “BS” and a pretext for occupation, pointing to the deployment of F-35 fighter jets and naval assets as evidence of a full-scale war rather than a targeted police action.
Gallego further warned that the administration lacks a clear endgame, stating, “These guys have no clue what they’re doing. They’ve got no clue. They can’t tell us who’s in charge of Venezuela right now. That can tell us what the end goal of this is.” He accused Trump of acclimatizing the public to war through gradual escalations, including prior executive orders designating cartels as terrorist organizations and naval blockades on Venezuelan oil tankers.
The intervention, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, unfolded in the early hours of January 3, with U.S. forces launching airstrikes on military sites in Caracas and other northern Venezuelan locations. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown to the U.S., where they landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York before being transferred to Manhattan. Trump, speaking from Mar-a-Lago, confirmed the capture and declared that the U.S. would “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” He justified the action as a response to Maduro’s alleged “campaign of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States,” while also emphasizing Venezuela’s oil reserves and the need to prevent hostile takeovers.
Trump has faced widespread international condemnation, with allies like Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel calling the strikes “criminal.” Legal experts have labeled it an “act of war” in violation of international law, rejecting the narco-terrorism rationale as insufficient for regime change. Domestically, Democrats have echoed Gallego’s concerns, with some floating ideas of retaliation or even Trump’s removal from office. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) described the plan to administer Venezuela as “truly insane” and a potential disaster.
Supporters of the president, however, have praised the move as a bold step against drug trafficking and instability in the region. Trump indicated readiness for a second, larger strike if needed, and some conservative commentators on platforms like YouTube have framed it as reclaiming resources Maduro allegedly “stole” from U.S. interests, including oil. Replies to Gallego’s X post were largely critical from Trump allies, with users accusing him of siding with cartels or embarrassing Arizona voters.
Venezuela has declared a national emergency, reporting around 40 deaths from the strikes, including civilians. As Maduro faces potential extradition proceedings, the White House has not detailed a timeline for the transition or how U.S. oversight will function, fueling ongoing debates in Congress about authorization for military action.
This developing story reflects deep partisan divides over foreign policy, with Gallego’s comments amplifying calls for transparency amid what critics see as an unprecedented U.S. intervention in Latin America.
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