A blockbuster shakeup to the world order
The David Pakman Show - January 5, 2026
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Over the weekend, the United States under Donald Trump carried out a military operation in Venezuela that seized Nicolás Maduro and brought him to New York to face federal charges. Whatever you think of Maduro, this was not extradition or a negotiated legal process, it was force, and it sets a dangerous precedent for how countries treat sovereignty and heads of state. The legal and geopolitical blowback is obvious, and it also raises an alarming question: if this is now “normal,” who is next.
New reporting suggests one of the triggers for the raid was not an imminent threat, but Maduro appearing on television and dancing in a way Trump and his circle interpreted as mockery. The idea that a major military escalation could hinge on bruised feelings is not strength, it is instability. It paints a picture of foreign policy driven by personal psychology, not strategy, law, or the safety of Americans.
The administration’s post hoc explanations also collapse under basic scrutiny. If this was regime change, they removed one man while leaving the broader power structure, generals, and institutions intact. If this was about oil, the reality is Venezuela’s infrastructure is decayed, the cost to rebuild is enormous, and U.S. companies are not eagerly rushing in.
Trump’s own press remarks made the lack of planning hard to miss. When asked about “boots on the ground,” he shrugged it off like it was no big deal, and then declared the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until some undefined transition. He even talked openly about taking Venezuela’s money “for their own benefit.”
On Air Force One, Trump was asked about political prisoners and democratic reforms, and he pivoted right back to oil. Then came the bombshell: he reportedly did not notify Congress in advance, but he did speak with oil companies before and after the operation. He also seemed comfortable with the term “kidnapping,” as if it is a branding opportunity rather than a legal and diplomatic crisis.
Almost buried under the Venezuela chaos was a Wall Street Journal report describing Trump’s health issues and his tendency to dismiss medical advice. It also clarified that the repeatedly referenced “MRI” never happened, it was a CAT scan, which raises questions about why the messaging was inaccurate. The report also notes episodes of him struggling to stay awake, denying hearing problems, and eating extremely high-calorie fast food meals, details that add to broader concerns about his condition and transparency around it.
One specific detail stood out: Trump is reportedly taking far more aspirin than doctors recommend, largely out of superstition and habit. That matters not just medically, but psychologically, because it is the same decision making pattern applied to everything else, gut feelings over experts, stubbornness over updated guidance. If he treats doctors like optional reading, it is not comforting that he also treats diplomacy, war powers, and national security the same way.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio then went on television and managed to confirm the chaos without saying much at all. Asked who is running Venezuela and when elections will happen, he gave non answers, while the same regime figures appear to remain in place under a new label. The administration is trying to sell “law and order” while pardoning traffickers in other contexts, promising democracy while offering no timeline, and hinting at control without explaining who is actually in charge.
Finally, the tone shifted from “this was a one off” to “this is a trend,” with Cuba openly floated as the next target and Colombia also teased by Trump. Rubio and allies like Lindsey Graham spoke in a way that suggests they want more escalation, not less, and they framed unpredictability as a feature rather than a liability.
On today’s bonus show:
Oil markets steady after Trump’s Venezuela strike shocks the world, speculation grows that Donald Trump Jr. is being groomed for a 2028 run amid tension with J.D. Vance, and Minnesota politics take a twist as Governor Tim Walz looks ready to exit and Amy Klobuchar eyes a comeback.
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When LBJ convinced the US Congress to almost unanimously endorse the Tonkin Gulf Resolution he promised that our objectives were limited and that he did not want a wider war. Ten years and 50,000+ dead American GIs later the last Americans were evacuated by helicopter from Saigon rooftops.
In his book "Just and Unjust Wars" Michael Walzer writes: “Those who begin wars rarely control or even foresee their consequences. The initial injustice of aggression is almost always compounded by the unpredictable cruelties that follow from it… Aggression opens the gates of hell.”
The Trump regime has just opened the gates of hell.
YES YES YES IT'S DEMENTIA! i’ve worked with dementia patients he has all the symptoms he’s had them for awhile. He's getting worse, quickly. There is no way he should be even out of the house or be around People! There's a chance that he *might* not even know that what he’s doing is real life. He doesn't like Maduro's dance so he goes to be mean to him - toddler tantrum, he's cranky!
They should have 25'd him MONTHS ago. NONE of this makes sense. he has phone calls with Putin - specifically in the morning -when he is lucid. he thinks Putin is still his little buddy so he does what he says. then, if he meets with Zelensky in the afternoon, when his symptoms are worse, he's cranky again, and treats him badly because, in his mind, Putin is the best. He wants to be like him and Putin is just GIVING him all the answers. Dementia has him lazy. He's getting his instructions on a golden plate right in his lap.
we need to know WHY has nobody AT ALL said or done anything?!