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Rand Paul Warns Trump's Venezuela Push Could Splinter the MAGA Coalition

01:31 PM, 11/24/2025
Rand Paul Warns Trump's Venezuela Push Could Splinter the MAGA Coalition

Sen. Rand Paul warned that President Trump’s escalating pressure on Venezuela and continued backing of Ukraine could fracture the MAGA coalition that rallied around an "America First" anti‑war stance. Paul criticized the administration’s designation of Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles and lethal maritime strikes — actions critics say may violate international law and that officials say have killed at least 83 people. He also said Congress has not received full briefings on the operations. Trump dismissed the dissent, calling critics "lowlifes" and insisting the GOP is united.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) warned that President Donald Trump’s expanding pressure on Venezuela — coupled with continued U.S. support for Ukraine — risks fracturing the MAGA coalition that rallied around an "America First" message and opposition to foreign entanglements.

Trump, 79, has intensified efforts to undermine Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, recently refusing to rule out sending U.S. forces to the region. Washington has also formally designated the Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization and carried out maritime strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels.

"Once there’s an invasion of Venezuela, or if they decide to re-up the subsidies and the gifts to Ukraine, I think you’ll see a splintering or fracturing of the movement that has supported the president," Paul told CBS’s Face the Nation.

As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Paul said many supporters were drawn to Trump because of his earlier reluctance to involve the United States in new wars. "I think a lot of people, including myself, were attracted to the president because of his reticence to get us involved in foreign war," he added.

Paul has criticized the administration’s maritime strikes on vessels accused of smuggling drugs, calling the operations "insane." Critics contend some strikes violate international law; officials say the actions have killed at least 83 people.

"They’re pretending as if they’ve gotten some imprimatur to do what they want," Paul told Margaret Brennan, adding: "When you have war, the rules of engagement are lessened."

Paul also complained that Congress has not received full briefings on the Venezuelan operations. "I’ve been given zero, not one briefing because I am skeptical of what they are doing," he said, noting that only a small, hand-selected group of lawmakers appears to have seen classified briefings.

U.S. military activity in the Caribbean has increased, with troop levels reported near 12,000 and the recent arrival of the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier as part of a broader pressure campaign against Maduro, whom the administration deems illegitimate.

The dispute highlights growing tensions within the Republican Party and the MAGA movement, which earlier faced internal disagreements over possible action in the Israel‑Iran flare-up and strikes on Iranian targets. Trump pushed back on Sunday, calling Republican dissenters "lowlifes" and insisting the party remains united.

Observers say Paul’s comments reflect a longer-running divide between foreign‑policy hawks in the GOP and an isolationist wing that supported Trump for his earlier vows to avoid foreign wars.

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