Venezuela sits in the same hemisphere as the United States, yet Nicolás Maduro governs it like a hostile outpost, protected by repression at home and partnerships abroad. This is not only a Venezuelan tragedy. It is a Western Hemisphere security problem, tied to narcotics networks, regional instability, and the growing footprint of rival powers close to American shores.
Start with the election that should have been a turning point. María Corina Machado won the opposition primary, then the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice upheld a ban that barred her from holding office, preventing her from running for president in 2024. The regime did not simply campaign hard. It removed the front runner from the ballot.
When Venezuelans voted on July 28, 2024, the Maduro controlled electoral authority declared Maduro the winner. But credible observers and multiple governments demanded transparency because the official claims did not match what independent evidence suggested. The Carter Center, one of the most respected election observation organizations in the world, said Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and could not be considered democratic. It also said it could not verify or corroborate the results declared by the National Electoral Council and criticized the failure to publish polling station level results. Reuters reported that Machado said the opposition had 73.2% of the voting tallies and that these tallies supported the opposition’s claim of victory. The Organization of American States election observation department said it could not recognize the results announced by Venezuela’s electoral authority.
Polling and election day indicators also pointed to weak popular support for Maduro. Americas Society Council of the Americas summarized that pre election polls indicated a preference for opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia over Maduro. Edison Research published an exit poll projecting a landslide opposition win, another data point used by critics to challenge the official story. Exit polls are not the same as audited results, but taken alongside the tally sheet dispute and the refusal to publish full disaggregated results, they fed a widespread conclusion that the announced outcome lacked credibility.
This matters for America First because illegitimate power in Venezuela is not contained by geography. It spreads outward. The US Justice Department has publicly alleged that Maduro and other senior figures were part of a narco terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracy, describing Venezuela as intertwined with criminal networks. Those are allegations that will be tested in courts, but they reflect a consistent US view: the regime is not merely authoritarian, it is accused of operating with cartel logic.
Maduro also survives by leaning on America’s adversaries. Russia continues to provide political backing. Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin reassured Maduro of Moscow’s support in a December 11, 2025 call. Iran and Venezuela have built practical cooperation in energy, including refinery work and oil related arrangements reported by Reuters, giving both sanctioned governments ways to keep revenue and fuel moving.
China’s role is heavily financial and economic, but still strategic in our hemisphere. Reuters reported that China financed Venezuelan oil development through large loans for oil arrangements dating back to 2007, and in 2024 Reuters reported Venezuela’s remaining debt to China was about $10 billion based on independent data cited in the story. A dictatorship propped up by Russia, Iran, and Chinese credit is not a normal neighbor. It is an invitation for hostile influence and corruption to harden just off our coastline.
So what does a pro-American, America First response look like?
It is not wishful thinking. It is pressure with a purpose: verified elections, transparent results, and real consequences for officials and networks that profit from repression and crime. The travel risk alone underscores how abnormal Venezuela has become, with the US State Department warning Americans not to travel to or remain in Venezuela due to risks including wrongful detention and kidnapping.
President Trump’s posture of escalating pressure is consistent with an America First doctrine that treats the Western Hemisphere as core national security terrain. In December 2025, the US Treasury announced new actions targeting Maduro regime insiders and sanctions evaders tied to Venezuela’s oil sector. The point is not punishment for its own sake. The point is to cut off the cash and impunity that keeps an illegitimate regime standing.
The moral core is simple. Venezuelans deserve the same thing Americans demand for themselves: a vote that is counted, results that can be audited, and leaders who can be removed peacefully. The strategic core is just as clear. If the United States will not defend democratic order and security in its own hemisphere, it will spend far more later cleaning up the consequences. America First means starting at home, and that includes defending the neighborhood.
Fact box
• Machado was barred from running after Venezuela’s top court upheld a ban preventing her from holding office
• Carter Center: election did not meet integrity standards and results could not be corroborated, citing missing polling station level results
• Reuters: opposition said it held 73.2% of tally sheets supporting its claim of victory
• OAS election observation department: results announced by the CNE could not be recognized
• US DOJ charged Maduro and others in 2020 with narco terrorism and drug trafficking allegations
• Reuters: China provided large loans for oil deals since 2007; Reuters also cited about $10 billion in remaining Venezuela debt to China in 2024
• Reuters: Iran and Venezuela cooperation included refinery work and oil related arrangements
• Reuters: Putin reaffirmed support for Maduro on December 11, 2025
• US State Department: Venezuela Level 4 Do Not Travel
• US Treasury announced new actions targeting Maduro regime insiders tied to the oil sector on December 11, 2025
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