It’s ‘might makes right’ over international law
Jersey City: So our commander in chief is pretending that an armed invasion of another nation — an undeniable act of war, undeclared (as required by our Constitution) by Congress — and kidnapping of two of its citizens (killing quite a few more, claiming that firing back at troops defending their country was self-defense) was justified because the kidnapped were bad people indicted under our laws in our country.
I am obviously not remotely sorry at the fall of Nicolás Maduro. He is reputedly almost as great a criminal as his abductor, and I certainly understand why our fearless leader has not followed the same logic and actions against his buddy, Vladimir Putin, for his similar bad acts — not to mention the ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine that our leader has been doing his best to help the Russian leader succeed with. Putin might have access to tools of nuclear retaliation had things gone awry. Our leader never attacks anyone in a position to actually defend themselves or strike back.
Should we as patriotic citizens now rightly stand quietly aside should our noble neighbor Canada attempt a similar “surgical incursion” into the District of Columbia to remove the war criminal and hench-persons in and around the White House for delivery to the International Criminal Court at The Hague? If we are to approve of the manner in which our current chief executive chose to take down a weaker rival dictator, that would seem to be the only right and honorable action, as I’m sure every voter who truly wishes to make America great again would agree. “Sauce for the goose…” John Esche
High point
Yonkers: The action in Venezuela undoubtedly has the highest level of public support for any U.S. military action undertaken in 2026. Eric Rosenbaum
It’ll be back
Bronx: Congratulations to Donald Trump on his successful capture and extradition of Venezuela’s ruthless dictator Nicolás Maduro. The world is certainly a better place without the likes of him. For a man who thoroughly enjoys gloating over exaggerated or even fabricated accomplishments, Trump now has attained something truly significant and worthy of his bluster. I’m sure he’ll soon declare it the greatest achievement by any U.S. president in history! But if Trump believes that Maduro’s capture will serve to distract our attention from, or perhaps even erase, the memory of his role in the Epstein scandal, he’s sorely mistaken. After we receive our first increased medical insurance statements later this month, I’m quite sure our collective memory will be quickly refreshed. Carlos B. Martinez
Oil grab
Manhattan: This had nothing to do with a narco-terrorist, drug cartels or corruption. It had everything to do with taking control of the Venezuelan oil industry. That is what it’s about. Trump wanted their oil. We invaded their country, arrested their “narco-president” after Trump pardoned another narco-president, ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, and effectively took control of their oil for our profit. They never “stole” our oil, as JD Vance claims. Everything else that you hear from the administration is pure bunk. H. Wayne Mirsky
Full story
Brooklyn: Kudos to the Daily News for printing the exceptionally detailed, accurate and interesting AP article “Violent & twisted road” (Jan. 4). The piece details the rise and fall of Maduro, a violent despot who ruled with an iron fist. And kudos to the Trump administration for making the world a little bit better and safer. Jack Flynn
Getting his cut
Woodland Park, N.J.: Trump told the Venezuelans, “You’re going to have peace, justice, you’re going to have some of the riches that you should’ve had for a long period of time that was stolen from you.” He will probably find a way to keep the rest of the riches for himself. John Dent
First of many?
Greenburgh, N.Y.: I’m worried about the unintended consequences of Trump’s successful efforts to overthrow Maduro as president of Venezuela. Maduro is a thug, a ruthless dictator who deserves not to be president of his country. I worry that the unilateral action by the president, without congressional approval, will encourage other strongmen like Putin and Xi Jinping to also overthrow leaders of neighboring countries they don’t like. Will China accelerate efforts to take over Taiwan? Will Putin decide that he not only wants Ukraine to be part of his empire, but also Poland and Finland? And will Trump try showing the world that he can’t be stopped and use force to take over Greenland? If the world’s strongmen try to outdo each other, could it lead to World War III and the start of a draft of young men and women into military service in the U.S.? Paul Feiner
Easy pickings
Oak Ridge, N.J.: So the last I heard, Trump was annexing Greenland. He missed by about 4,557 miles. Is Venezuela now the 51st state? Why doesn’t Trump get a high-point target, let’s say Putin, the guy running North Korea or the Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of Iran? Because they aren’t easy targets and he only succeeds, never taking a chance on something he stands a chance to lose on. This is not a great person. Oh, by the way, where the hell is Congress on all of this? God forbid one of our boys gets killed because of this recklessness. Jim Heimbuch
Prepare for the worst
Dublin: After a few pints at a local pub while trying to digest the latest news that America had attacked the sovereign country of Venezuela and kidnapped its President Maduro, the idea came to me that it was time to offer up some friendly advice to President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan. With the Chinese Navy engaged in activity close to Taiwan, just like the American Navy was busy murdering fishermen in small boats off the coast of Venezuela, I suggest that Ching-te have his bags packed and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Sean Thornton
Chaos follows
Ottawa, Ontario: I am wondering when mob behavior will surface with the downfall in Venezuela. I mean knocking statues down and stepping on them, as we have seen before. This kind of behavior has become common. Those in favor are celebrating, but soon it will come. Anant Nagpur
What’s next?
Manhattan: So we take over Venezuela. What’s next? AI states that very little fentanyl comes to us from Venezuela. Most of it comes through China and Mexico. It says most of the drugs coming from Venezuela on boats were marijuana and cocaine. If we decrease the supply of any illicit drug, the demand is still there. Illicit drug prices will go up and problems for drug addicts will increase. The oil from Venezuela has much sulfur and is costly to clean and refine. So we take over Venezuela and promise to pay government and military salaries with money from the oil companies that are supposedly going to make a fortune a few years down the line. Where is the money coming from now? Will Elon Musk be running up and down with a chainsaw in Venezuela yelling, “Too much money, America can’t afford to pay you!”? What’s next? Leonard Smoke
Lessons learned?
Ridgewood, N.J.: Hopefully, Trump has studied the mistakes of the Iraq invasion, preventing Venezuela from becoming Iraq 2. Ed Houlihan
Many in need
Manhattan: On the Jan. 3 opinion page is a photo of Mayor Mamdani reading the Daily News on the subway on his first day on the job. I saw videos of that trip: well-made and uplifting, but not an accurate portrayal of a train ride that morning. I took the line the mayor would have taken had he traveled to City Hall from his new home at Gracie Mansion. More seats than I can ever remember, being a frequent rider since the 1960s, were being used as beds. Based on what I witnessed on public transportation that cold day, we will need both more police and social/mental health services. Jeffrey B. Freedman
