There’s only one reason to oppose the capture of Nicolás Maduro. The man is a socialist dictator, a narcoterrorist responsible for untold suffering in Venezuela and for the deaths of countless Americans. Yet somehow, after President Trump’s successful operation that removed Maduro from power, not only are congressional Democrats making a stink about it, but so is a sizable portion of the public. The question is why?
A Washington Post poll released this week shows the country almost evenly split: 40% approve of Operation Absolute Resolve, 42% disapprove, and 18% aren’t sure. There’s no denying the mission was a huge success, or that it accomplished something good. In fact, as we’ve previously reported here at PJ Media, congressional Democrats were calling for Maduro’s ouster years ago, and they even blamed Trump during his first term for not taking the dictator out. Democrats are, of course, doing what they do best: playing politics.
As for the public, it’s a head-scratcher. How can you look at the removal of a murderous tyrant and say "meh"?
Even CNN’s Jake Tapper seemed surprised by the poll.
“One thing I have to say is, like, this was a very successful military operation,” he said. “The idea that 42% disapprove is a higher number than I would think. It says to me that the American people are thinking not just about this operation, but maybe more about also, well, what comes next?”
Scott Jennings set him straight. It wasn’t concern about what comes next; we haven’t invaded Venezuela, and Trump didn’t start a war. The opposition to the operation has nothing to do with that, but it has everything to do with Donald Trump.
“Well, also, it's Trump. I mean, 42% of the American people would oppose it if he cured cancer personally in the Oval Office tonight,” Jennings quipped. “I mean, there is a reflexive opposition to Trump. It is the entire platform of the Democratic Party, and to the extent that that's how their leadership tells them to act, that's how the Democratic grassroots are going to see it.”
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Jennings continued, “You see Democrats today, who long came on this network and others and called for Maduro's ouster, demanded it, now saying they oppose the fact that Donald Trump just arrested Maduro. This reflexive opposition to everything Trump does is corrosive of the Democratic Party, and you shouldn't look at these things through that lens.”
🚨 JUST IN: Scott Jennings DROPS THE MIC on every Democrat in America 🫳🎤
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 6, 2026
CNN: 42% of Americans oppose Trump's capture of Maduro!
JENNINGS: "It's TRUMP. 42% of them would oppose it if he cured cancer, PERSONALLY, in the Oval Office, tonight!" 🤣💯
"For his next trick, Trump… pic.twitter.com/xX3pNKoA90
Maduro’s fall should have been a unifying moment for the country. When Osama bin Laden was killed, Republicans didn’t use it as a pretext for impeaching Barack Obama. They even criticized Joe Biden for opposing the raid.
The reaction to Maduro’s capture has once again exposed the deep rot of a political party that cannot separate principle from partisanship. The operation was competent, swift, and morally justified. But Trump’s critics can't see the operation objectively; they look at it entirely through a political lens. A brutal dictator is in custody, and Democrats in Washington and their voters nationwide aren’t happy about it. That tells you all you need to know about what the Democratic Party’s values really are today.
