 "Trump hails Caracas strikes as ‘brilliant’, warns GOP midterm losses could lead to impeachment")
US President Donald Trump on Monday praised the weekend strikes on Venezuela’s capital Caracas, describing the operation as “amazing” and “brilliant” while speaking to House Republicans at their annual retreat.
“It was amazing. And think of it, nobody was killed. And on the other side, a lot of people were killed,” The Guardian quoted Trump as saying, referring to casualties he claimed included a large number of Cubans.
“They knew we were coming, and they were protected, and our guys weren’t. You know, our guys are jumping out of helicopters … it was so brilliant,” he added.
Trump called the operation “brilliant tactically” and “an incredible thing,” and described Venezuela’s deposed leader Nicolás Maduro as a “violent guy.”
“He gets up there and he tries to imitate my dance a little bit, but he’s a violent guy, and he’s killed millions of people,” Trump said.
Addressing Republican lawmakers, Trump said members of the opposition had been reluctant to commend the operation despite their criticism of Maduro’s government.
“At some point they should say, you know, ‘you did a great job’,” Trump was quoted as saying. “Wouldn’t it be good? I would say that if they did a good job, their philosophies are so different, but if they did a good job, I’d be happy for the country. They’ve been after this guy for years and years and years, and he was a violent guy,” he added.
Trump also claimed that protests against US action in Venezuela were staged, alleging demonstrators were paid to take part.
“They will pay people. Most of these people are paid. You know, they’re paid when they have brand new, beautiful printed signs by like the highest quality printer,” The Hill quoted Trump as saying.
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View AllHe went on to joke about a protester holding a sign reading “Free Maduro.”
“We should all have high quality signs like that. The one thing I want is their sign maker. The guy is great. He does beautiful signage,” Trump added.
Midterms warning
Trump also warned Republican lawmakers that failing to win the 2026 midterm elections could lead to his impeachment by Democrats.
“You gotta win the midterms ’cause, if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just gonna be — I mean, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying.
“I’ll get impeached,” he added.
Trump’s broader political agenda is set to face a major test in November’s elections, when all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be contested.
With inputs from agencies
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