REPORT: Well-Known Democrat Praises Trump’s Capture Of ‘Illegitimate’ Socialist Dictator

January 4, 2026

From the Daily Caller: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat with a sizable Venezuelan population in her district, bucked her party Saturday to praise President Donald Trump’s capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Wasserman Schultz said the U.S. military operation removing Maduro from power is “welcome news” for the millions of Venezuelans living in exile, though she argued Congress should have been informed. Conversely, a chorus of congressional Democrats immediately slammed the successful military operation as illegal and contrary to American interests.

In a post on X, Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:

The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule.

However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows. Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González.

I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime.

Congress must be properly informed and hold hearings on this invasion. As always, I will work to bring about the promise of a liberated Venezuela.

The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule.

However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows.…

— Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@RepDWStweets) January 3, 2026

However, she did push back against President Trump’s suggestion that Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez would now be cooperating with the US to lead the country.

“The VENEZUELAN PEOPLE should ‘run Venezuela’: not Trump, not Maduro’s cronies Delcy and Diasdado. We should be backing the legitimate democratic leaders, Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez,” Wasserman Schultz wrote.

The VENEZUELAN PEOPLE should ‘run Venezuela’: not Trump, not Maduro’s cronies Delcy and Diasdado. We should be backing the legitimate democratic leaders, Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez.

¡Decimos NO a dictadores ni de Mar-a-Lago ni de Miraflores! https://t.co/Xtr7eaMgua

— Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@RepDWStweets) January 3, 2026