WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President military intervention in will pose a fresh test of his ability to hold together a restive Republican coalition during a challenging election year that could be defined by domestic concerns like health care and affordability.
While most Republicans lined up behind the president in the immediate aftermath of the stunning U.S. mission to capture and bring him to New York to face criminal charges, there were signs of unease across the spectrum within the party. In particular, Trump’s comments about the U.S. positioning itself to 鈥渞un鈥� Venezuela have raised concerns that he is abandoning the 鈥淎merica First鈥� philosophy that has long distinguished him from more traditional Republicans and helped fuel his political rise.
鈥淭his is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives,鈥� said Rep. of Georgia, a former Trump ally who is , in an interview with NBC’s 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� on Sunday.
Those concerns were shared by some who are not associated with the party’s far-right flank.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a moderate who is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the November midterms, said in a statement that 鈥渢he only country that the United States of America should be 鈥榬unning鈥� is the United States of America.鈥�
Those comments reflect the sensitive dynamics between Trump and his fellow Republicans at the outset of an election year in which their party risks losing control of Congress. While the president’s dominance remains undisputed, the ironclad grip that he has held over the party has faced unusual challenges in recent months. Blocs of Republicans have banded together to pressure Trump to release the . Others have been vocal in encouraging Trump to take more seriously.
Trump鈥檚 aggressive vision of US dominance
Few issues are as central to Trump’s political brand as ensuring that the U.S. does not get entangled in seemingly endless foreign conflicts at the expense of domestic goals. During a 2016 Republican presidential debate, for instance, he described the war in Iraq as a 鈥渂ig, fat mistake.”
But on Saturday, Trump said he was 鈥渘ot afraid of boots on the ground鈥� in Venezuela if that was deemed necessary, and he framed his actions as prioritizing the safety and security of Americans. He articulated an aggressive vision of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, and said it was important to 鈥渟urround ourselves with good neighbors.”
He remained confident on Sunday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that his supporters are 鈥渢hrilled.鈥�
鈥淭hey said this is what we voted for,鈥� Trump said.
However, much like the Iraq War, a president’s early optimism after a dramatic military action can sometimes meet more sobering realities that drain domestic political support.
In Venezuela, U.S. troops could be placed in harm’s way again as Trump warns that more military operations may be in the works. An ongoing conflict could worsen the hemisphere’s refugee crisis, something the White House has tried to tamp down with stricter border controls. In addition, there are questions about how much cooperation the U.S. will receive from officials still in Venezuela or how easily the country’s oil reserves could be tapped to fulfill Trump’s goal of extracting more energy with Maduro out of the picture.
Trump’s comments this weekend about revitalizing the oil industry in Venezuela are in line with some of the earliest critiques he made of the handling of the Iraq War. During a 2013 speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said the U.S. should 鈥渢ake鈥� oil from Iraq and 鈥減ay ourselves back.鈥�
Frustration with the handling of the Iraq War contributed to major gains for Democrats in the 2006 election and helped create the conditions for Barack Obama to be elected to the presidency two years later. Given the baggage surrounding those wars, Trump allies insist that the actions this weekend in Venezuela are different.
鈥淰enezuela looks nothing like Libya,鈥� Secretary of State said on 鈥淢eet the Press. 鈥淚t looks nothing like Iraq. It looks nothing like Afghanistan. It looks nothing like the Middle East other than the Iranian agents that are running through there plotting against America, okay?鈥�
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton argued that the 1989 ouster of Manuel Noriega in Panama is a better comparison.
鈥淭hat was a successful operation,鈥� Cotton said on CNN’s 鈥淪tate of the Union.鈥� 鈥淚 believe, in the long run, this will be too.鈥�
Still, amid some of the pushback about the U.S. taking expansive responsibility for managing Venezuela, Rubio suggested a more limited role. He said that Washington would not handle day-to-day governance of the South American country other than enforcing an existing 鈥渙il quarantine鈥� on Venezuela.
There’s not much organized GOP opposition to the strikes
It is not clear that any forceful, organized opposition to Trump’s Venezuela policy is emerging within the GOP. Instead, many lawmakers appear to be giving the Republican administration some room and, at most, offer some warnings.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a potentially challenging reelection campaign this year, called Maduro a 鈥渘arco-terrorist and international drug trafficker鈥� who should stand trial even, as she said 鈥淐ongress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.鈥�
Even Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who often criticizes military interventions, did not specifically oppose Trump’s actions. He wrote on social media that 鈥渢ime will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost.鈥�
Many Democrats denounced Trump’s actions in Venezuela and the Democratic National Committee quickly sought to raise money by blasting 鈥渁nother unconstitutional war from Trump.鈥�
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., rejected the administration’s argument that it was combating drug crimes, saying on X that the White House is instead focused on 鈥渙il and regime change鈥� while seeking to 鈥渢o distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.鈥� Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the strike was part of an 鈥渙ld and obvious pattern鈥� where an 鈥渦npopular president 鈥� failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home 鈥� decides to launch a war for regime change abroad.鈥�
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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
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