Peace through strength is the defining characteristic of Trump's second term, and it's hard to disagree with that. At a bare minimum, the Trump White House recognizes what international relations is more than his two Democratic predecessors, and that's aiding his success. We are dealing with politics at its most raw: pure power projection.

I was watching the reactions of my liberal friends to the United States ' arrest of Maduro in Venezuela and walking out. The dumbest reaction, shared by several members of Congress, is that the United States taking Maduro will "give the green light" to China and Russia to do the same thing.

And that reaction leaves me somewhat confused because I can't tell what planet they could possibly be living on. Russia and China already operate as if they have that green light everywhere.

For example, just days before the Venezuelan operation, Russia's leadership called for Zelensky to be killed and his body put on public display. This happened after numerous attempts on his life, both inside and outside of Ukraine. Russia never needed a green light for any of these operations; they've failed in their attempts.

China has done much of the same in Taiwan. The communist dictatorship has directly interfered with Taiwan's government and triggered mass protests in the process. Nothing in Venezuela impacts China's attempts here - they've been doing it for years.

Now, what those liberals respond with is that what the United States did was "brazen." And it is. The reason for that, and the reason China and Russia watched this operation closely, is that only the United States could do this.

The American military, combined with intelligence, knew where Maduro was, waited until after he met with the Chinese diplomatic team, and then had him on a boat to the United States before anyone in the U.S. even knew there was a "war." This is similar to how George H.W. Bush had the U.S. military invade Panama and capture Manuel Noriega.

The United States military took out all the air defense systems in Venezuela so quickly that it's basically an afterthought now. Russia's defense systems, Chinese operators, and Iranian tech were all in Venezuela. Nothing those countries offered up worked. They were blind, deaf, and caught off guard.

Maduro is a bad guy and deserves the hellfire that awaits him. But the purpose of that military action was a direct shot across the bow of every enemy of the United States on the planet. It's a reminder that we are the dominant superpower and there is nothing anyone can do about that.

When the United States sent the B-2 bombers to Iran, we were using antiquated tech. It's on the way out. And even with that decades-old technology, we were better than everyone else by a mile.

That's why the leftist implosion about this topic is so utterly off-base and misses everything. There's no green light here; in fact, it's the exact opposite. What stops the Russias and Chinas of the world is power. And there's only one power that stops these countries: the United States.

In Venezuela and Iran, the United States has flexed what it truly is for the world to see. After the feckless weakness of Biden, that matters. Remember the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in Biden's first year. Putin took one look at that, accelerated his buildup, and began the war in Ukraine.

In striking Iran and now Venezuela, Trump has reasserted American military dominance for the world to see. This is important for both credibility and deterrence, especially after four years of total weakness from Biden.

I don't know what's going through the minds of the Chinese, Russians, Iranians, and more. It's impossible to tell. But we know this: the Russian, Chinese, and Iranian presence in Venezuela, and America's backyard, just got popped hard. The military systems of those same countries also took a hit.

Whatever they thought coming into 2026 got scrambled. What's telling is that Venezuela got no help or aid from China or Russia. When America acted, those countries issued "angry statements," but that's about it.

This is the reality of peace through strength. Trump wielded the big stick part of American power - it worked. Maduro began his 2026 by dancing in videos, believing he was untouchable. He's now in New York City, awaiting charges and trials.

If you're some other tin-pot dictator in the Western Hemisphere, how good are you sleeping tonight? Probably not great. And you're probably more likely to look at Russia and China as liabilities, not allies.

A lot changed in one operation, not just the leadership of Venezuela. And while Democrats continue to complain about Maduro, they should stop and ask anyone from Venezuela who had to flee to the United States what they think about this operation.