Shapiro, McCormick talk Maduro, Venezuela and the U.S. Military
A pair of differing viewpoints on the capture of Nicolas Maduro and the situation in Venezuela were shared moments apart this morning on The Big K Morning Show on KDKA radio on Monday.
The Venezuelan leader and his wife were taken from their compound in Caracas early Saturday morning in a U.S. military raid and brought to New York for arraignment on charges.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who has been a vocal critic of Trump and his policies, said that there are two very clear things to take away from the situation – that “Maduro is a bad guy” and that the skill and professionalism of the United States military is “something we should all be proud of.”
Commenting on Trump’s pronouncement that the United States will “run” Venezuela, Shapiro said “There are many, many questions beyond that and a whole lot of serious concerns. “I reject President Trump’s belief that we should be engaging in regime-change wars.”
Shapiro called out the president for his new stance, reminding listeners that Trump ran on opposing such actions by previous administrations.
“And I think it’s not wise that even after extracting Maduro from power, he left his illegitimate regime in place,” said the governor. “The Vice President (Delcy Rodriguez) is there in power. And the president says, ‘we’re going to run Venezuela.’ I don’t know what that means.
“It sounds like a massive nation-building project with basically no plans for what comes next other than him stealing Venezuela’s oil to enrich his friends. And so my fear here is that we’re getting sucked into something bigger, more expensive and more dangerous.”
Shapiro, who is expected to kickoff his reelection campaign on Thursday in Philadelphia, also expressed concerns over Trump’s comments on Air Force One on Sunday night.
The president, in an on-the-record gaggle, said that “Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall” and that the U.S. needs “Greenland from a national security situation. The E.U. needs us to have Greenland.”
“He was going on and on, not just about Venezuela, but attacking Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and even Greenland, which, by the way, Greenland is a NATO ally,” said Shapiro. “I don’t think this is strength. I think it’s a bully’s weakness. We have a huge amount of work to do here at home. So the idea that we’re going to go get entangled in foreign wars instead of fixing the problems here at home, that’s my biggest beef with this.”
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, was supportive of the president’s actions, saying that Trump ran on securing the border and stopping the flow of opioids into the country, among other things, in 2024.
“Venezuela is a trans-shipment hub,” said McCormick. “It’s a narco-terrorist hub. This guy (Maduro) was trafficking in drugs throughout the country that are killing Americans, and this was an imminent threat to to the kids in Pennsylvania and across America.
The senator, who served in the Army with the 82nd airborne in Fort Bragg, agreed with the governor, saying it was an “extraordinary military operation” and that the U.S. has “the most magnificent military in the world.”
McCormick said that four policy objectives have to be met – stopping Venezuela from being a port, making sure Venezuela is not supporting U.S. adversaries in the Western Hemisphere, unlocking the oil industry, and creating a path to democracy.
“I don’t expect that’s going to be easy,” he said. “I think we should have humility. I think for as magnificent as the first phase was, the second phase is going to be going to be tougher. This nation-building stuff can be hard, and I got confidence in the President’s team, but, but I think we need to proceed with some humility.”
Steve Ulrich is managing editor of Politics PA where this article originally appeared.
