Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene has delivered a blunt public warning to President Donald Trump, stating that recent US military action in Venezuela represents the kind of overseas intervention many in the MAGA movement believed they voted to end.
A Stark Rebuke on Foreign Intervention
In a lengthy post on the social media platform X on Saturday 3 January 2026, the Georgia congresswoman expressed fury over the administration's operations, which included airstrikes and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Greene framed the intervention as a betrayal of core Republican principles, directly challenging the president's justification.
"Regime change, funding foreign wars, and American's tax dollars being consistently funneled to foreign causes... is what has most Americans enraged," Greene wrote. She connected the spending on foreign engagements to domestic struggles, citing the increasing cost of living, housing, and healthcare for American citizens.
Questioning the 'America First' Justification
The congresswoman specifically countered President Trump's defence of the operation. Trump had stated he authorised CIA activities because Venezuela "emptied their prisons into the United States of America" and flooded the country with drugs, aligning the mission with his "America First" agenda by saying, "We want to surround ourselves with good neighbours."
Greene dismantled this argument by pointing to drug trafficking statistics. She noted that 70 percent of U.S. drug overdose deaths are caused by fentanyl entering via Mexico, not Venezuela. "If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasn't the Trump admin taken action against Mexican cartels?" she asked.
She also highlighted the controversial pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, convicted for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine into the US, as evidence of inconsistent policy.
A Fractured Alliance and Broader Republican Unease
Greene's very public criticism marks a dramatic shift in her relationship with Trump. Once one of his staunchest allies, she has become a vocal critic in recent months, a rift reportedly stemming from disagreements over the handling of the Epstein files. This rebuke comes as she prepares to leave Congress, having announced her resignation in November with her seat due to be vacated on 5 January.
Indications suggest Greene is not alone in her concerns. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated on Saturday that some Republicans have expressed unease in private. "We have heard from some Republicans in private conversations... that they are troubled by this," Schumer said, urging the party to hold the president accountable on this serious issue.
In her closing remarks, Greene delivered a damning verdict on the administration's actions, echoing the disillusionment of her political base: "This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong."
