Question:

Trump on Venezuela: "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition" pic.twitter.com/hNwViQPZk4

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 3, 2026

If you were to blow up the Capitol building during the State of the Union, killing all inside, would you have taken over the federal government of the United States?

That’s the premise of “Designated Survivor,” where the lowest person in the line of succession (AgSec, IIRC) is not in the building at the time. Congress is gone; the POTUS, VPOTUS, and Cabinet are gone. The TV series is about how the government continues and recovers.

Trump didn’t take out the Venezuelan government, nor disband the military. I think he’s going to be quite surprised at what he didn’t do. He didn’t even leave boots on the ground.

President Trump doesn’t provide much further details, but again stated that the United States will “run” Venezuela with a “group,” adding that they aren’t afraid of “boots on the ground” if necessary.

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026

The POTUS is an unreliable narrator. Isn’t there a cognitive dissonance between calling him delusional, and saying he’s “speaking the quiet part out loud”? He didn’t even tell Congress what he’s doing. I don’t know that he’s briefed anyone in Congress on what he did. And now?

for those not keeping track, Marco Rubio serves as secretary of state, national security adviser, head of the National Archives, and now the newly minted Grand Poobah of Venezuela https://t.co/fyoECnzu8r

— Peter Twinklage (@PeterTwinklage) January 3, 2026

Sure he is.

President Trump says that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be part of the team helping run Venezuela.

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026

Trump also thinks the Chair of the Fed sets interest rates by fiat. Five years in, he still has no idea how government works.

Trump: "We're there now, but we're going to stay until such time as the pop -- proper transition can take place. So we're gonna stay until such time as -- we're gonna run it essentially." pic.twitter.com/ilA2zoS4bI

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 3, 2026

He has no idea what that means.

AG and others legally characterize attack in Venezuela as “arrest with military support.”

Meanwhile Trump announces he’s taken over the country and will run it until he finds someone suitable to replace him.

Added bonus: says American oil companies will get to exploit the oil.

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 3, 2026

We’ll have to see if Congress decides to get off its backside now. I’m sure they’re waiting for the polling results.