Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the Trump administration on Saturday night after U.S. officials confirmed the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. She denounced the operation as illegal and strategically reckless.
Writing in a detailed post on X, Harris said the removal of Maduro did nothing to advance U.S. security or economic interests. While she described Maduro as a “brutal” and “illegitimate” dictator, she argued that those realities did not justify President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela.
“Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable,” Harris wrote. “That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. We’ve seen this movie before.
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“Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price.”
READ ALSO: Venezuela in U.S. hands? Trump signals leadership role after Maduro capture
Her remarks came hours after the administration announced that Maduro and his wife had been seized and removed from the country under what officials described as “Operation Absolute Resolve.”
Harris accused the White House of pursuing Venezuelan oil interests rather than fighting drug trafficking or supporting democratic reforms, saying the administration was misleading the public about its motives.
“The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to. This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” Harris said. “If he cared about either, he wouldn’t pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro’s cronies.”
She also warned that the operation risked drawing the United States deeper into a destabilizing conflict while exposing American forces to unnecessary danger.
“The President is putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilizing a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home,” Harris said. “America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and most importantly putting the American people first.”
READ ALSO: Trump claims victory in Venezuela after Maduro’s capture
Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 4, 2026
That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that…
Maduro and his wife were flown to New York late Saturday and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after initial processing by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Manhattan, according to federal officials.
Earlier in the day, Trump said the United States would temporarily assume control of Venezuela’s governance following the operation.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, adding that the “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”
The capture of Maduro capped months of covert planning and intensifying pressure by the Trump administration and marked the most aggressive U.S.-backed effort to remove a foreign government since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The operation, carried out without congressional authorization, immediately triggered legal challenges and sharp diplomatic and political backlash both in the United States and abroad.
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