In a recent appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) expressed strong concerns about President Donald Trump’s statements and actions regarding Venezuela, particularly his remarks about the United States planning to “run” the country following a military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The interview, featured Warren responding to questions about the implications of the administration’s next steps in the region.
When asked what questions she would pose to the administration about the coming weeks, months, and years in Venezuela, Warren emphasized the need for clarity on Trump’s comment that the U.S. would “run Venezuela.” She stated:
“We wanna get a better sense of what the president’s talking about when he says he’s gonna run Venezuela. But this isn’t just getting a better sense. This is really about reeling him back in and saying the United States is not here to occupy Venezuela. We are not here to invade other countries.”
Warren highlighted the contrast between Trump’s campaign promises and his current foreign policy priorities. She reminded viewers of Trump’s repeated pledge during the 2024 election campaign to “lower costs on day one,” a message he reiterated in his first post-election interview as the reason for his victory.
She then shifted to domestic economic issues, arguing that the administration has instead contributed to rising costs in key areas:
“The president ran for office saying he would lower costs on day one. Remember that? Those were his words. He said it every single day in the run up to the 2024 election. He gets elected. His first interview, they asked him why did you win, and he said because I agreed to lower costs on day one. And what’s he done? He’s driven up costs on healthcare. He’s driven up costs on housing. He’s driven up costs on groceries. He’s driven up costs on utilities.”
Warren concluded by framing the Venezuela situation as a misallocation of American resources:
“The American people look down at Venezuela and say, what are we doing spending our money, our energy, our time in a foreign country instead of spending that time and energy on making this country work better for the American people?”
This appearance comes in the context of the U.S. military operation that resulted in Maduro’s capture and transfer to face U.S. federal charges related to narcoterrorism. Trump has described the action as part of efforts to address drug trafficking, regional instability, and access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, with plans involving U.S. companies in revitalizing the country’s oil infrastructure to potentially lower global energy prices. Democrats, including Warren, have criticized the operation as unauthorized by Congress and questioned the long-term U.S. role in Venezuela.
