In a moment that left the legacy media scrambling and partisan Democrats squirming, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) went on Fox News and did the unthinkable: he told the truth. The Pennsylvania Democrat openly praised President Donald Trump’s bold January 3 operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, calling it “surgical, precise, and efficient,” and urging his own party to drop the reflexive outrage and acknowledge a clear American success.
Fetterman’s comments stood in stark contrast to the hysterical backlash from the left, which has spent days trying to rebrand a clean, decisive operation as “imperialism” or “warmongering.” Instead, Fetterman cut through the noise and reminded viewers that removing Maduro has long been a bipartisan goal—one Democrats themselves loudly supported when it suited them politically.
“I don’t know why we can’t just acknowledge that it’s been a good thing,” Fetterman said plainly. He pointed out that Democratic leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and even former President Joe Biden, had previously condemned Maduro and openly called for his removal. “We all wanted this man gone,” Fetterman said. “And now he is gone.”
That’s the inconvenient truth Democrats are struggling to explain away.
Fetterman went further, praising the U.S. military for executing a mission that avoided the disasters of past foreign interventions. There were no prolonged occupations, no nation-building fantasies, and no endless war. “This wasn’t a war. This wasn’t boots on the ground,” he emphasized. “It was surgical and very efficient.”
That distinction matters—especially to American families exhausted by decades of reckless foreign policy failures under both parties. Trump’s operation achieved a long-sought objective without dragging the U.S. into another quagmire, and even a Democrat like Fetterman was willing to admit it.
He also reminded viewers why Maduro’s removal matters in the first place. Under Maduro’s socialist regime, Venezuela collapsed into chaos, violence, and economic ruin. More than 500,000 Venezuelans fled to the United States alone, overwhelming communities and adding pressure to an already strained immigration system. “Our nation was forced to absorb over 500,000 Venezuelans,” Fetterman noted—an understated acknowledgment of the real-world consequences of left-wing authoritarianism.
While critics on the left have accused Trump of acting like a dictator, Fetterman pointed out another inconvenient fact: Maduro wasn’t assassinated or disappeared. He was captured and is now facing a public trial. “They didn’t kill him,” Fetterman said. “They didn’t disappear him. He’s on TV right now, and he’s going to get a trial.”
That’s called the rule of law—something Democrats usually claim to support.
Fetterman also highlighted the irony of Democratic outrage, noting that less than a year ago the Biden administration increased a $25 million bounty on Maduro’s head. Now that Trump actually delivered results, Democrats suddenly want to pretend they never supported removing the dictator.
Closing his remarks, Fetterman struck a tone of realism that has become rare in his party. Venezuelans are celebrating. The region has a chance for stability. And America demonstrated strength without recklessness.
“As a Democrat,” Fetterman said, “just because it’s a different party, I’m open to better opportunities for Venezuela.”
It was a refreshing admission—and a quiet indictment of a Democratic Party that would rather attack Trump than admit he got it right.
