The foundation that awards the Nobel Peace Prize has clarified that a Nobel, once awarded, cannot be “passed on.”
The Nobel Foundation made a statement on the non-transferability of its awards after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gifted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump last week. The clarifications suggest that the foundation is concerned with being connected to the President of the United States despite numerous world leaders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pax-trumpana-trumps-resume-for-winning-the-nobel-peace-prize">nominating</a> Trump himself to receive a peace prize.
“One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration,” the foundation said in a <a href="https://x.com/nobelprize/status/2012826296875667648">statement</a> on Sunday.
“The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who ‘have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,’ and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize. A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed,” it said.
The statement followed a release the foundation published on Friday explaining the symbolism behind the award and how, no matter what happens to the physical prize itself, the original recipient of the prize is always considered a Nobel laureate.
“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize,” the <a href="https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/press/press-releases/the-nobel-prize-and-the-laureate-are-inseparable">release</a> states. “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time,” it continues.
The Nobel Foundation&#8217;s repeated clarifications on the Nobel symbolism come after Trump received the Nobel Prize from Machado, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-ends-up-with-nobel-after-all-as-venezuelas-machado-gifts-prize-at-white-house">gave</a> Trump her prize after the United States used military force to raid Venezuela and arrest and extradite former dictator Nicolás Maduro. Maduro is imprisoned in New York on charges related to drug trafficking.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters after meeting with Trump at the White House, “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”

Donald Trump

Nobel Foundation Panics After Machado Gifts Trump Her Award, Says Prize Cannot Be ‘Passed On’

General

Nicolas Maduro

Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuela

World

January 3, 2026, will go down in history as the day Venezuelans recovered something many had believed lost: hope.
That hope did not come from abstract promises, but from the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro — the first sign in decades that Venezuela may veer off the trajectory of authoritarian rule, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/700568/decade-distress-clouds-venezuela-future.aspx">economic collapse</a>, and <a href="https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/venezuela/#:~:text=About%20the%20Crisis%20in%20Venezuela&amp;text=The%20humanitarian%20crisis%20in%20Venezuela,Latin%20America%20and%20the%20Caribbean.">mass exile</a> that has defined the country for 26 years.
Despite this renewed optimism, many critics of the Trump administration have suggested the operation was somehow unethical or misguided.
Those critics miss the point entirely. Toppling Maduro has paved the way for long-term stability grounded in free-market capitalism and the rule of law to take root in Venezuela. If these forces are allowed to flourish, they will reshape the military, political, and economic structures that guide the country, and allow Venezuela to fully re-enter the global community.
It is no accident that authoritarians controlled Venezuela for as long as they did. To topple a regime from the inside, you need either a massive popular uprising or some kind of military coup. Maduro made sure both were impossible in Venezuela.
A 2013 law banned the sale of firearms and ammunition to civilians and imposes prison sentences of up to 20 years for unauthorized possession. Over the past decade, the Maduro regime aggressively <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2013/0807/Gun-control-Can-Venezuela-regulate-the-flow-of-arms">disarmed the population</a>, ensuring that ordinary citizens have no means to resist a usurping government or defend a democratic transition.
That means no uprising would succeed without the military’s involvement. Which is why in recent years Maduro expanded the Venezuelan officer corps, which reportedly boasts over <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/maduro-is-out-its-unclear-who-is-running-venezuela-2026-01-04/">2,000 generals and admirals</a> — more than double the number in the United States.
In a system saturated with generals, no single faction can act decisively without broad internal backing. Plotting a coup becomes exponentially harder when success requires the loyalty of dozens, if not hundreds, of senior figures rather than a centralized command.
And, because so many of those officers have been <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/project/revolution-to-riches/how-venezuela-bought-military-loyalty?utm_source=chatgpt.com">rewarded</a> with lucrative posts or interests in vast sectors of the economy, it would be difficult for an opposition faction or reform-minded general to rally enough support within the officer corps to mount a successful coup.
Fortunately, the fact that the Venezuelan military is more a patronage program than a fighting force allowed American forces to topple Maduro in just 88 minutes.
That was a major step in the right direction, but hardly a guarantee of future success.
Even with Maduro gone, any Venezuelan regime that hopes to endure will need the military’s buy-in. And because Maduro spent years purchasing officers’ loyalty, it won’t be easy for an opposition leader to swoop in and take control.
That’s why Maduro’s de facto vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was left in power after Maduro’s capture. Many expected opposition leader María Corina Machado — whose coalition overwhelmingly won the <a href="https://ar.usembassy.gov/assessing-the-results-of-venezuelas-presidential-election/">2024 elections</a> — to assume leadership. Instead, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/trump-venezuela-machado.html">declined to back her</a>, arguing she lacked sufficient internal support.
Allowing Rodríguez to serve as a temporary bridge likely reduces the number of officers required to defect at once, lowering the coordination threshold needed to maintain stability. And, at a time when the American body politic is highly suspicious of “regime change” and “forever wars,” respecting this reality ostensibly diminishes the need for troops on the ground.
Moreover, immediate installation would have been politically toxic for Machado. A staunch defender of democratic rule, she must earn her mandate from Venezuelans, not appear as a foreign appointee marching into Miraflores on the heels of American troops.
If Machado is to translate political momentum into lasting change, she will need to leverage Venezuela’s greatest asset: its oil reserves. The country holds an estimated <a href="https://www.opec.org/assets/assetdb/asb-2025.pdf">300 billion barrels of proven reserves</a>, the largest in the world.
But Venezuela’s oil is not an easy prize. Most of it is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/05/venezuelan-crude-oil-appeals-to-us-refineries">heavy or extra-heavy crude</a> — dense, sulfur-rich, and costly to extract, transport, and refine. <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/what-it-takes-to-revive-venezuelas-oil-and-gas-industry/">Oil production has fallen</a> from roughly 3.2 million barrels per day in 2000 to about 1 million today, and <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-big-oil-has-a-long-road-ahead-in-venezuela-the-fallen-angel-of-global-crude-markets-192628377.html">experts agree</a> that rebuilding lost capacity will take years of sustained investment and technical rehabilitation.
Reviving the sector will require tens of billions of dollars in <a href="https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/increasing-venezuelas-oil-output-will-take-several-years-and-billions-dollars">long-term investment</a>. But American companies will not make multi-billion-dollar investments based on speeches, personalities, or election cycles. They will invest if they believe the rules of the game will endure. In this sense, Venezuela’s recovery is inseparable from free-market reform and the rule of law.
This is why the transition underway is about far more than replacing one leader with another. It is about replacing an economic model. Venezuela’s oil sector — and its broader economy — cannot recover without sustained private investment, and sustained private investment requires credible commitment to free-market capitalism, property rights, and the rule of law. Anything less signals instability and thus keeps capital on the sidelines.
Incentives are aligned in a rare and encouraging way. American companies want stability, predictability, and enforceable contracts. Venezuelans want lasting freedom, prosperity, and insulation from the return of authoritarian socialism. Both depend on the same outcome: a durable shift away from state control and toward a market-based system that cannot be easily undone. The more Venezuela commits to capitalism, the safer long-term investment becomes. And the more capital flows in, the harder it becomes for any future government to reverse course without catastrophic cost.
That alignment matters. It creates a feedback loop in which economic openness reinforces political durability, and political durability reinforces economic confidence. This — not ideology, not personality, and not short-term geopolitics — is the most important driver of Venezuela’s future.
Venezuela’s trajectory depends on balancing three forces: military power, political legitimacy, and market-driven recovery. Mismanaging any one of them risks collapse. The United States and its allies must avoid the temptation to pursue oil while tolerating authoritarian continuity. That path would only produce a new class of kleptocrats.
Done correctly, however, this moment offers a rare alignment of interests. Venezuelans want dignity and self-government. Investors want stability and lawful capitalism. And the United States has an opportunity to support a transition that is neither naïve nor imperial, but grounded in realism.
The door is open. What comes next will decide whether hope can walk through it and materialize as the liberty and prosperity millions of Venezuelans, like myself, have been praying, yearning, and working for decades.
Olga Benacerraf de Strulovic is a J.D. Candidate at the University of Chicago Law School. She was born and raised in Venezuela&#8217;s capital city of Caracas, and was one of many Venezuelans who fled the country during Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s rule. 
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Caracas

With Maduro Gone, Will Venezuelans Choose Freedom?

maria corina machado

US-VENEZUELA-POLITICS-CONFLICT-OIL

LIVE UPDATES: Trump Warns Of Dangers Of Aligning With Venezuelan Opposition, Cites Iraq As Example

Drug Cartels

Rubio

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado expressed optimism in Washington, D.C., on Friday following her meetings with President Donald Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week.
“We are definitely now into the first steps of a true transition to democracy that will have not only immense impact in the lives of Venezuelans,” she said at a press conference at The Heritage Foundation. Machado said she was “impressed” by how much the president knew about the situation in Venezuela, saying the president “understands the moment” and the “implication for the whole hemisphere.”
“It took a lot of courage to do what he did,” she said regarding the Jan. 3 military operation that resulted in the capture and arrest of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Machado, who won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, gifted Trump her Nobel medal as the two discussed the next steps for the South American nation.
Shortly after Maduro was brought to the U.S. to face federal narcoterrorism charges, Trump said that Machado did not have the “respect” of the country to be its leader. Prior to Maduro&#8217;s arrest, <a href="https://x.com/cameron_arcand/status/2007660393787715848?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the relationship between the U.S. and Machado, with Rubio noting that it had been a while since he and the opposition leader had spoken, saying she &#8220;was in hiding.&#8221;
Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, is now the acting president of the country, albeit with staunch oversight from the United States.
After their Thursday meeting, Trump posted to Truth Social that “It was [his] Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented [him] with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
However, when asked about the leftist acting president, Machado said, “This has nothing to do with tension or decision between Delcy Rodriguez or myself &#8230; This is about the cartel and justice. This is about a criminal regime, and the mandate of the Venezuelan people.”
Trump has adopted more of a conciliatory tone toward Rodriguez, saying that they spoke earlier this week and that “she’s a terrific person,” according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/14/trump-delcy-rodriguez-venezuela-00730397" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Politico</a>.
“This morning I had a very good call with the Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” the president said in a Wednesday post to Truth Social. “Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
Although it’s still very early in the process of navigating Venezuela&#8217;s future, Machado explained that she thinks that the “regime is forced to dismantle themselves” and that there are major steps needed to truly become a democratic nation once again, including the closure of “torture centers,” the liberation of political prisoners, and “guarantees for journalists to speak out.”
“There is a criminal structure of terror … not only of the civilian population but also in the military,” she said. When it comes to having fair elections in Venezuela, she stressed that it’s important for Venezuelans still in the country and around the globe to believe democracy is on the horizon, and she believes people will be willing to return to the country if that is the case.
Maduro remained in power following the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, with international concerns that it was not conducted fairly. Maduro was up against Edmundo Gonzalez, a political ally of Machado.
In the press conference Friday, she stressed the importance of voting rights for Venezuelans. When it comes to her own political ambitions, she told &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/foxandfriends/status/2012180372755268040?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox &amp; Friends</a>&#8221; in an interview that aired Friday morning that she is confident she will lead the South American nation one day.
&#8220;I believe I will be elected, when the right time comes, as president of Venezuela,&#8221; she told the outlet.

TOPSHOT-NORWAY-VENEZUELA-NOBEL-PEACE-PRIZE

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Says Next Steps Have To Address ‘The Cartel And Justice’

foreign affairs

venezeula

White House

Liberals have taken many radical, nonsensical positions in recent years. Few are as baffling as their outrage over President Trump’s removal of Nicolás Maduro, the illegitimate, narco-terrorist dictator of Venezuela — a move the long-suffering citizens of Venezuela are openly cheering.
But not so among progressives, such as the clueless governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, <a href="https://x.com/GovPritzker/status/2007864220017115141?s=20">who claims</a> Trump&#8217;s action was designed, &#8220;To distract from Epstein, the explosion of health and homeowners insurance costs, and the tariffs that are decimating small businesses &#8230;&#8221;
Or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who downplays Maduro’s tyrannical brutality <a href="https://x.com/AOC/status/2007472955882692798">by claiming,</a>&#8221; It’s about oil and regime change. And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.&#8221;
So, who exactly are Pritzker, AOC, and others of their ilk defending? Why are they saying we should have left him in power?
In 2023, Joe Biden&#8217;s State Department produced a 76-page <a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/528267_VENEZUELA-2023-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf">assessment</a> of specific human rights abuses committed by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his thugs (many of whom were apparently Cuban mercenaries) against their hapless victims. The assessment documents a staggering range of abuses, including:
<blockquote>&#8230;unlawful or arbitrary killings… enforced disappearance; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by security forces; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention by security forces… political prisoners… punishment of family members for alleged offenses by a relative… use of children by illegal armed groups; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats of violence against journalists… harassment of domestic and international human rights organizations; extensive gender-based violence… trafficking in persons… and the worst forms of child labor.</blockquote>
The report makes for a tough read, given its summation of the viciousness, cruelty, and ruthlessness of Maduro and his henchmen. 
Want more? What about the details in the federal <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl">criminal indictment</a> of Maduro issued by a grand jury in New York?
The superseding indictment charges Maduro and a host of other confederates with running a drug cartel “to import tons of cocaine into the United States.” Makes sense from Maduro’s point of view: his disastrous policies turned Venezuela into an economic basket case, making a once-prosperous country a bankrupt third-world hellhole. Thus, Maduro had to get money from somewhere to line his pockets and finance his depredations.
According to the indictment, Maduro essentially turned the Venezuelan government into a massive drug and illegal weapons smuggling operation, doing everything from using Venezuelan law enforcement to protect his distribution system to issuing “diplomatic passports to drug traffickers” and providing “diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers to repatriate drug proceeds.”
All of the money was used to enrich himself, his family, and the “political and military elite” who kept him in power. That also included partnering “with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world,” extremely dangerous criminal cartels and terrorist groups that have kidnapped and murdered Americans, like FARC, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas, or Cartel del Noreste, and Tren de Aragua.
By the way, the Caribbean drug smugglers that our military has been taking out? Part of the indictment talks about the 200 to 250 tons of cocaine “trafficked” to the U.S. annually by Maduro and his cartel cronies through “maritime shipments…north from Venezuela’s coastline using go-fast vessels, fishing boats, and container ships.” Additionally, “air shipments were often dispatched from clandestine airstrips, typically made of dirt or grass, and also from commercial airports under the control” of Maduro and his corrupt officials.
I don’t think the majority of Americans have a lot of sympathy for the criminals smuggling drugs on these “go-fast vessels, fishing boats, and container ships.”
From the drugs poisoning our citizens, especially our youth, to the citizens of Venezuela who have been censored, arrested, tortured, and killed, Maduro has been a scourge who has caused untold harm and suffering.
The political parties and both sides of the political aisle may disagree on many domestic issues. But when it comes to the removal of Nicolás Maduro Moros, progressives, liberals, and Democrats, along with conservatives and Republicans, should be praising the president for finally taking action to rid our hemisphere of this menace.
* * *
Hans von Spakovsky is a Senior Legal Fellow in the Meese Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-VENEZUELA-POLITICS-TRUMP

Why Are Democrats Defending A Narco-Terrorist Dictator?

Cartels

Democrats

drug boat

Leftists

Liberals

Opinion

Smuggling

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday in Caracas to discuss economic cooperation and intensifying efforts against drug trafficking, a U.S. official confirmed to The Daily Wire. 
The official told The Daily Wire that the meeting focused on &#8220;trust building measures and laying the groundwork for continued communication and room for collaboration between the two governments.&#8221; Rodriguez, who spoke with President Donald Trump during a phone call on Wednesday, became the interim leader of Venezuela after American forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro.
“At President Trump’s direction, Director Ratcliffe traveled to Venezuela to meet with interim President Delcy Rodriguez to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship,&#8221; a U.S. official told The Daily Wire. &#8220;During the meeting in Caracas, Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narcotraffickers.”
The official added that the trip was part of the continuation of Trump&#8217;s &#8220;aggressive foreign policy.&#8221; Ratcliffe and &#8220;a small team&#8221; met with Rodriguez and other Venezuelan officials for about two hours, according to the official. Ratcliffe reiterated the need for Venezuela to crack down on drug trafficking, including the violent Tren de Aragua. The official added that the trip showed Ratcliffe is willing to take risks.
The New York Times was the first outlet to report on the trip.
Before Maduro&#8217;s capture, the CIA carried out a reported strike on a Venezuelan port that U.S. officials said was used to load drugs onto boats bound for North America.
Earlier this month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-leverages-oil-deal-to-make-venezuela-buy-american">announced</a> a controversial oil deal with Venezuela in which the country would provide the United States with between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned crude oil. With the money made from oil sales, Trump said that Venezuela would purchase American agricultural, medical, and electrical equipment. 
Ratcliffe’s meeting with Rodriguez came after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-ends-up-with-nobel-after-all-as-venezuelas-machado-gifts-prize-at-white-house">met</a> with Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado. 
“María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,&#8221; said Trump. &#8220;Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, María!”
Top Trump officials have reiterated the administration’s commitment to long-term democratic elections in Venezuela; however, the president has not set a timeline for when elections might take place.
​​“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-predicts-quick-but-expensive-venezuela-oil-rebuild-we-have-to-nurse-the-country-back?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=23&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Predicts+Quick%2C+But+Expensive+Venezuela+Oil+Rebuild%3A+‘We+Have+To+Nurse+The+Country+Back’">said</a> in an interview last week. “No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have to nurse the country back to health.”

US Seizes Russia-Flagged Tanker After Chase Across Atlantic

CIA Director Meets With Venezuela’s Interim Leader As U.S. Shifts Policy

John Ratcliffe

Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado gifted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump at the White House Thursday.
Machado met with the president a day after Trump spoke with Venezuela&#8217;s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, over the phone. Machado had previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobel-peace-prize-winner-dedicates-award-to-trump-for-his-decisive-support">dedicated</a> her award to Trump last year “for his decisive support of our cause.”
“I presented the President of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters on Thursday, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-machado-venezuela-maduro-nobel-peace-prize-ed23992bccabf128b7e849259d3c29a8">Associated Press</a>. She said Trump deserved the accolade “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump thanked Machado for the award and complimented the opposition leader in a post on Truth Social.
“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much,” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115902023696178994">said</a> Trump. “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
Top Trump officials have repeated the administration’s commitment to long-term democratic elections in Venezuela, however, the president has not placed a timeline on when elections might happen. Securing trustworthy democratic elections is one of the top priorities of Machado, whose party has been kept out of power in part due to election rigging by Venezuela’s Communist regime.
After ousting former Venezuela strongman Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and forcibly extraditing him to New York to face trial on drug-related charges, the Trump administration has left Rodriguez to steady the Venezuela government while using an oil embargo to force Caracas to align itself with U.S. interests.
Trump has declined to pressure Rodriguez to turn over the government to the opposition. The White House was reportedly convinced prior to Maduro’s arrest that Machado did not have the sway among Venezuela’s government and power brokers to stabilize the government. Some of the reforms that Washington has tasked Caracas with include ridding foreign influence from nations such as China and Cuba from Venezuela’s government.
Washington has kept up pressure on Venezuela by restricting Caracas&#8217; ability to sell oil on the international market. The United States has seized at least half a dozen oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude. The ships belong to a “ghost fleet” of foreign vessels that often use deception to carry sanctioned goods.
Instead, Washington has struck a deal with Rodriguez’s administration and will handle the sale of Venezuelan oil on international markets. The Trump administration says it can secure a higher price for Venezuela while keeping influence over Caracas by controlling the flow of its most important export.

María Corina Machado

Trump Ends Up With Nobel After All As Venezuela’s Machado Gifts Prize At White House

Global Politics

Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday evening, killing the War Powers Resolution that was designed to curtail President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration if any further military action was warranted in Venezuela.
Vance presided over the Senate as the vote was tallied to 50 yeas and 50 nays — with Republican Senators Rand Paul (KY), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) voting with Democrats. After announcing that the vote was tied, Vance briefly conferred with someone at the desk before announcing his vote.
WATCH:
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🚨 BREAKING: Vice President JD VANCE just DEFEATED the anti-Trump War Powers vote in the Senate on Venezuela, casting the tie-breaking vote, 51-50
The resolution has officially FAILED.
THANK YOU JD! You can always rely on VP Vance! 🇺🇸
Trump wins again 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/8f7Eprt1Jg">pic.twitter.com/8f7Eprt1Jg</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2011584816203121105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes —&#8221; Vance quickly covered the microphone as he looked over the legislation on the desk in front of him
&#8220;Affirmative. And the point of order is sustained,&#8221; he said, chuckling, after the brief pause. &#8220;I had to make sure.&#8221;
Two other Republican Senators had initially indicated that they would vote with Democrats on the measure, but were convinced to change their votes prior to Wednesday evening.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Fox News host Will Cain that he&#8217;d been assured by the White House that there would be no move to put troops on the ground in Venezuela without going through the proper congressional channels.
&#8220;For me, it&#8217;s always been about troops,&#8221; Hawley explained, adding, &#8220;I talked to the president &#8230; I thank for the admin for the outreach. We are not going to occupy Venezuela. That&#8217;s good enough for me.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. Josh Hawley has FLIPPED on the War Powers resolution against President Trump&#8217;s Venezuela operation
Hawley is now a NAY, after voting YEA to advance it, drawing a sharp response from Trump
&#8220;For me, it&#8217;s always been about troops&#8230;I talked to the president&#8230;I… <a href="https://t.co/yFuo2RKVOc">pic.twitter.com/yFuo2RKVOc</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2011553809886306618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Todd Young (R-IN) also changed his vote prior to Wednesday, saying that he&#8217;d been convinced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who indicated a willingness to testify on the matter before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rubio also said in a letter to Young that if the United States were to engage in &#8220;major military operations&#8221; in Venezuela, the administration would &#8220;seek congressional authorization in advance (circumstances permitting).&#8221;

Vice President JD Vance Hosts The Charlie Kirk Show In Tribute To Kirk

Vance Sinks War Powers Resolution With Tie-Breaking Vote

JD Vance

Josh Hawley

Politics

War Powers Resolution

President Donald Trump is set to meet with exiled Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, a White House official confirmed to The Daily Wire.
The meeting comes as Trump plans the next phase for Venezuela&#8217;s government and oil industry as the United States continues to apply pressure on the socialist regime following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro. Trump appears to have a strong relationship with Machado, who was named the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize over Trump, but the president said earlier this month that he doesn&#8217;t believe Machado has enough &#8220;support&#8221; or &#8220;respect&#8221; in Venezuela to become its next leader.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump said. “She doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”
Machado has been one of Maduro&#8217;s top enemies after gaining momentum as an opposition leader in 2024. Despite winning her party&#8217;s primary to challenge Maduro, she was disqualified by the government as a presidential candidate. She then backed Maduro&#8217;s challenger, Edmundo González, but was forced to flee the country after Maduro was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election over González despite evidence showing that Maduro lost.
After the United States captured Maduro in a late-night raid on January 3, Trump has declined to throw his support behind a regime change, which could put someone like Machado or González in power. Instead, Trump continues to negotiate with the interim government, which remains loyal to Maduro.
“We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years,” Trump said at a press conference following Maduro&#8217;s capture.
Venezuela&#8217;s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, condemned the United States following the raid on Maduro&#8217;s compound and claims that Maduro remains the rightful leader of the country.
Machado&#8217;s meeting with Trump could give the opposition leader an opportunity to convince the president to push for major government reform in Venezuela, and she suggested that she would offer Trump her Nobel Peace Prize for the work he&#8217;s done in capturing Maduro. Trump responded to the offer, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5681120-trump-machado-nobel-peace-prize/">saying</a> it would be a &#8220;great honor&#8221; to accept the prize from Machado. The Norwegian Nobel Institute said on Friday, however, that the prize cannot be transferred to another person after it has been awarded.
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others,” the institute wrote, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/world/americas/trump-nobel-peace-prize-maria-machado.html">according</a> to The New York Times. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”
After she was named the Nobel Peace Prize winner in October, Machado <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobel-peace-prize-winner-dedicates-award-to-trump-for-his-decisive-support">dedicated</a> the award to Trump “for his decisive support of our cause.” Trump has long sought a Nobel and said earlier this month that it was “a major embarrassment to Norway” that he was not the 2025 winner.

Trump Sets Date To Meet With Machado After Saying She Likely Won’t Lead Venezuela

Trump Sets Date For Sit-Down With Machado After Saying She Likely Won't Lead Venezuela

In 1823, President James Monroe stood before Congress and warned European powers that if they intervened in the American hemisphere, the United States would send them packing.
Two centuries after the great Virginian elucidated what came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine, his successor has launched a new standard for American foreign intervention, not with a speech, but with a series of decisive actions.
Over the past few months, President Donald Trump has ratcheted up American attacks on Venezuelan drug cartels, dubbing them “narcoterrorists” and striking their boats. Things reached a fever pitch earlier this month when an elite military unit captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and brought him to New York to stand trial for his crimes.
In a press conference following the daring early-morning raid in Caracas, Trump acknowledged that his approach to foreign policy went far beyond the tenets of the Monroe Doctrine.
“They now call it the ‘Donroe Doctrine,’&#8221; the president said. &#8220;American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.&#8221;
This was more than just another clever Trump-era nickname. In the first year of his second term, Trump has shed the isolationism that mostly defined his first administration, opting instead for targeted, precise foreign operations designed to topple or contain America’s enemies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—who has long warned about Latin America’s socialist regimes, transnational cartels, and foreign adversaries—has emerged as a central architect and enforcer of the doctrine.
What began with the use of “bunker buster” bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities is now playing out in Central and South America, and Maduro may only be the tip of the iceberg.
Trump has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/trump-venezela-mexico-00710063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Colombian President Gustavo Petro of “making cocaine” and warned that he “does need to watch his a**” following Maduro’s capture. He’s warned Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum that the United States may intervene if she can’t control the cartels running her country. And he’s pledged to cut Cuba off from its supply of Venezuelan oil, potentially setting the stage for intervention on the communist-ruled island.
The Donroe Doctrine sits between the isolationist and interventionist schools that have long vied for control of American foreign policy. Trump has long criticized American interventionism and does not view his actions as launching more long, unwinnable, resource-draining wars in faraway lands. He sees the Donroe Doctrine as asserting hemispheric hegemony through swift action.
But the Donroe Doctrine isn’t just speaking softly and carrying a big stick, as President Theodore Roosevelt once put it — it’s swinging that stick to assert American power across the Western Hemisphere.
“Operation Absolute Resolve,” the mission that led to Maduro’s capture, underscores this point. The massive joint strike launched from more than 20 bases, involving 150 aircraft, cyber operations to cripple Venezuelan defenses, and the coordinated use of special forces and helicopters to seize Maduro.
Trump did not mince words when he offered his explanation for the move: he wanted to stop the flow of drugs that are killing Americans and wanted U.S. oil companies the opportunity to rebuild in Venezuela after having their assets nationalized two decades ago.
Venezuela is ruled by a socialist regime allied with Russia, indebted to China, smuggling oil with Iran in defiance of U.S. sanctions, and working with Hezbollah to launder money. It is no wonder, then, that Trump showcased American military might to intervene in Venezuela and assert the Monroe Doctrine.
To boil the Donroe Doctrine down to one sentence: bad actors in the Western Hemisphere will no longer operate with impunity.
The Donroe Doctrine is about more than combating bad actors, however. It also involves strategic plays that will benefit American interests, often advanced through the president’s trademark dealmaking mindset.
Consider Trump’s first major foreign policy move of this term: asserting influence over the Panama Canal.
In his inaugural address, Trump said he was “taking back” the canal, citing Chinese influence and accusing the United States of being “ripped off” by fees for using the canal it helped build. After intense diplomatic pressure, American military vessels gained priority and discounted transit, while efforts to curb Chinese influence, including the planned sale of two ports owned by a Hong Kong-based company to BlackRock, are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/30/the-guardian-view-on-the-new-monroe-doctrine-trumps-forceful-approach-to-the-western-hemisphere-comes-at-a-cost#:~:text=Mr%20Trump's%20vociferous%20complaints%20about,the%20US%20investment%20firm%20BlackRock." target="_blank" rel="noopener">still underway</a>.
This month, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino <a href="https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/security/panama-president-mulino-says-crisis-with-the-us-is-over" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> last year’s crisis with the Trump administration officially over.
“Panama moved toward a relationship of respect, restored trust, joint work, and friendship, and the canal remained Panamanian, as it will indeed continue to be,” Mulino said to Panama’s National Assembly.
Trump’s pursuit of Greenland, which he says is vital for “national security” because of growing Russian and Chinese activity, is another example of the Donroe Doctrine in action. Greenland may be peaceful, but as an autonomous territory of Denmark, it relies on Copenhagen for defense — and Denmark can’t be trusted to fully secure such a strategic island.
Whether Trump seeks to annex Greenland or simply keep rivals away, he’s sending a clear message: every strategic corner of the Western Hemisphere matters under the Donroe Doctrine.

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What Is The ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ President Trump’s New Foreign Policy?

Foreign Policy

Greenland

Marco Rubio

President Donald Trump delivered a clear warning to Cuba on Sunday, urging the communist island nation to make a deal with the United States and saying that there would be nor more &#8220;oil or money&#8221; going to Cuba from Venezuela.
The president took to his Truth Social platform to lay out <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115876460615555838">his thoughts</a> on the matter, saying also that because the United States had arrested Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, there was no longer a need for Cuban security services to defend his regime.
&#8220;Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela,&#8221; Trump explained. &#8220;In return, Cuba provided &#8216;Security Services&#8217; for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!&#8221;
Trump went on to note that the United States had quickly dispatched the Cubans providing security to the Maduro regime when American military operators had extracted the former dictator a week prior.
&#8220;Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last week&#8217;s U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,&#8221; Trump explained. &#8220;Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.&#8221;
&#8220;THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA &#8211; ZERO!&#8221; he declared. &#8220;I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.&#8221;
Just hours earlier, the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115876275372067195">shared a post</a> from conservative columnist Marc Thiessen, who said, &#8220;The Cuban regime has survived every president since Eisenhower. Wouldn&#8217;t it be something if that streak ended with Donald Trump?&#8221;
When jokes followed about Secretary of State Marco Rubio soon becoming President of Cuba, Trump responded simply, &#8220;Sounds good to me.&#8221;
And on Saturday evening, Trump shared another post stating that interim leaders in Venezuela were already moving to cooperate with American interests and had begun to free political prisoners — despite previously claiming under Maduro that Venezuela did not hold prisoners for political reasons.
&#8220;Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done. I HOPE THEY NEVER FORGET! If they do, it will not be good for them,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115873451908160529">warned</a> on Saturday.

Trump Warns Cuba To Make A Deal ‘Before It’s Too Late’

Trump Warns Cuba To Make A Deal 'Before It's Too Late'

Cuba

A man who says he was acting as security for now-captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro says the force demonstrated by American troops was unlike anything he had ever seen, and that the Venezuelan forces were no competition.
Speaking in Spanish, the man says the Americans came in undetected by Maduro security and killed hundreds of men, despite the fact that they were badly outnumbered.
&#8220;Those 20 men killed hundreds of their men, and none of those [American] soldiers were injured,&#8221; a man translating the Venezuelan insider said.
&#8220;It was a massacre,&#8221; the insider detailed. &#8220;We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed &#8230; it seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn&#8217;t do anything.&#8221;
The man said the Americans were using technology that cemented the mismatch, including the use of what he described as &#8220;a very intense sound wave.&#8221;
&#8220;Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
An insider from Venezuela’s security forces says US troops were like nothing they’d ever seen — overwhelming firepower, advanced tech, total dominance. After Trump’s Fox News warning on taking on the cartels, Latin America is watching how powerful US forces truly are. 🇺🇸🇻🇪”
⸻… <a href="https://t.co/GKqlkDDcRw">pic.twitter.com/GKqlkDDcRw</a>
— Anttsinc (@anttsinc) <a href="https://twitter.com/anttsinc/status/2009643118748946647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
The account from the perspective of Venezuelans has been highlighted by many, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, as a warning to anyone daring to engage the United States military. The details of the 88 minute raid on Venezuela have been outlined by American military officials, who say it was one of the most complex missions ever pulled off by the country.
&#8220;Those twenty men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I&#8217;ve never seen anything like it. We couldn&#8217;t even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.&#8221;
WATCH: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/how-to-take-out-a-dictator-in-88-minutes?contentProgram=How%20to%20Take%20Out%20a%20Dictator%20in%2088%20Minutes&amp;contentType=Video&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel">How to Take Out a Dictator in 88 Minutes</a>
The insider said the rest of the world should think twice before messing with the United States.
&#8220;I&#8217;m sending a warning to anyone who thinks they can fight the United States,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They have no idea what they&#8217;re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They&#8217;re not to be messed with.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gWNuS0tRVbY?si=g5fgPtdQmgGZzOXO" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The man said Mexico is already reevaluating its actions with the United States. &#8220;No one wants to go through what we went through,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Now everyone thinks twice. What happened here is going to change a lot of things, not just in Venezuela but throughout the region.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨This account from a Venezuelan security guard loyal to Nicolás Maduro is absolutely chilling—and it explains a lot about why the tone across Latin America suddenly changed.
Security Guard: On the day of the operation, we didn&#8217;t hear anything coming. We were on guard, but… <a href="https://t.co/392mQuakYV">pic.twitter.com/392mQuakYV</a>
— Mike Netter (@nettermike) <a href="https://twitter.com/nettermike/status/2009843044028428714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;

Screenshot 2026-01-10 at 1.53.20 PM

‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It’: Maduro’s Security Guard Lays Out What It’s Like Facing U.S. Military

'We Couldn't Even Stand': Maduro Security Details Unbelievable American Force During Venezuela Op

Trump Administration

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