As tensions continue to rise between the United States and Venezuela, a new battle is brewing in the halls of Congress. With a War Powers vote looming in the Senate, advocates and activists are turning to an unlikely ally in their fight to block President Trump’s potential military intervention in the South American nation: Trump himself.
It may seem counterintuitive to turn to a president who has been vocal about his support for military action in the past, but as the saying goes, “politics makes strange bedfellows.” In this case, it seems that the common ground between those who oppose regime change wars and Trump supporters lies in their shared belief in America first.
For years, Trump has been a vocal critic of the United States’ involvement in foreign wars. In fact, during his 2016 presidential campaign, he ran on a platform of ending endless wars and bringing American troops home. This message resonated with many Americans, particularly those who were tired of seeing their loved ones deployed overseas and the billions of dollars spent on endless conflicts.
Now, as Trump’s administration considers military action in Venezuela, many of his supporters are calling on him to stick to his campaign promise and avoid getting involved in another foreign conflict. This has led to a last-ditch effort to block Trump’s potential war in Venezuela, with advocates appealing to the president’s base of supporters.
One group leading the charge is the non-partisan organization, Win Without War. They have launched a campaign targeting Trump and his supporters, urging them to remember his past stance on regime change wars and to hold him accountable for his promises. The group’s executive director, Stephen Miles, stated, “This is about making sure that the president and his supporters remember what he ran on.”
And it seems that their efforts are paying off. In recent weeks, several prominent Trump supporters, including Senator Rand Paul and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have spoken out against potential military intervention in Venezuela. In a recent interview, Senator Paul stated, “If you’re a real conservative, if you believe in the Constitution, you believe that we should only go to war with the consent of Congress.”
This sentiment is shared by many “MAGA” Republicans, who see military intervention in Venezuela as a violation of Trump’s America first policy and a betrayal of his base. They argue that the United States should focus on solving issues at home before getting involved in another foreign conflict.
Furthermore, Trump’s past opposition to regime change wars also aligns with his desire to avoid getting bogged down in another costly and potentially endless war. As he stated in a 2016 interview, “We’ve spent $4 trillion trying to topple various people that frankly, if they were there and if we could’ve spent that $4 trillion in the United States to fix our roads, our bridges, and all of the other problems; our airports and all of the other problems we’ve had, we would’ve been a lot better off.”
As the War Powers vote approaches in the Senate, the pressure is mounting on Trump to stay true to his word and reject any potential military intervention in Venezuela. His base of supporters, who often refer to themselves as the “forgotten Americans,” are counting on him to put their interests first and stay out of another foreign war.
In the end, this last-ditch effort to block Trump’s Venezuela war is a testament to the power of the American people and their ability to hold their leaders accountable. By appealing to Trump’s past opposition to regime change wars and his “America first” policies, advocates are hoping to prevent yet another costly and potentially disastrous foreign conflict. As Senator Paul stated, “It’s important for conservatives to remember the limits of presidential power and to make sure we don’t get involved in a war that the American people don’t want.” Let’s hope that Trump and his supporters listen to this message and stay true to their beliefs.
