‘Warned us’: Rep. Thomas Massie is clearing the air about Trump’s plan concerning Venezuela, and it isn’t as pro-America as you would think
Republican Party member and United States Representative Thomas Massie is voicing strong criticism of Donald Trump regarding his recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He believes that such efforts should first have been corroborated with Congress and then decided upon, as the way the operation was conducted could have negative repercussions for America and Americans, possibly leading to a war-like situation.
On January 4, 2026, Thomas Massie shared a video excerpt of a speech he gave on December 17, 2025, on the House floor, on X (formerly Twitter), voicing his concerns about the United States and the Trump administration’s obsession with the Venezuelan government and its corrupt president and almost dictator Nicolás Maduro. During his speech, he raised questions about whether Trump, or any president, for that matter, has the undisputed power to decide on attacks or wars against foreign parties of interest, and suggested that other parts of the government, including Congress, be allowed to join the discussions concerning these issues, resulting in decisions made collectively by people from varied backgrounds rather than one person exercising undisputed, exclusive power. Citing the 4th United States President, Massie noted that a distribution of powers in certain aspects was necessary. He said:
“James Madison warned us that in no part of the Constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war and peace to the legislature and not the executive. Madison called it the crown jewel of Congress. The framers understood a simple truth. To the extent that war-making power devolves to one person, liberty dissolves. If the president believes military action against Venezuela is justified and needed, he should make the case, and Congress should vote before American lives and treasure are spent on regime change in South America.”
In addition to this, Thomas Massie also asked members of Congress to reflect on the outcomes of the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro, stressing that it was unlikely that he would be replaced by a leader similar to George Washington or someone adjacent to him. He also asked people to ruminate on what they have been told by presidents in the past, hinting that it was mostly lies curated to fool people and deflect attention, primarily to serve the selfish interests of those carrying out these operations. He said:
“Previous presidents told us to go to war over WMDs, weapons of mass destruction that did not exist. Now it’s the same playbook, except we’re told that drugs are the WMDs. If it were about drugs, we’d bomb Mexico or China or Colombia, and the president would not have pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez. This is about oil and regime change.”
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