Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried slammed President Donald Trump for attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization, saying the action “appears far more about oil than about democracy or regional stability.”
“My hope is that this moment opens a real path to democracy for the Venezuelan people, who deserve the chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González,” said Fried in a statement on Saturday.
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“However, Congress and the American people were entirely bypassed,” she said. “Acting without congressional authorization risks deepening chaos and instability, prolonging the very illegitimacy this action claims to end.
“This was not a transparent or lawful process, it was unilateral regime change with no clear plan for what comes next,” she said. “Once again, Trump acted as though he did not need Congress, the American people, or our allies.
“Let’s be clear: this appears far more about oil than about democracy or regional stability,” she said. “Trump lied and repeated promises to avoid new wars and to put American interests first, now it will be oil companies and billionaires who will see the benefits — not the American people.”
Trump brushed off criticism from U.S. Democratic lawmakers that he did not seek permission from Congress ahead of time and that the strike was illegal.
He called his Democratic critics “weak, stupid people” and blaming his political opponents for inflation in the U.S. He said the operation in Venezuela was “really genius.”
“All they do is complain,” he said of the Democrats.
“They should say, ‘Great job.’ They shouldn’t say, ‘Oh Gee, maybe it’s not constitutional.’ You know, the same old stuff that we’ve been hearing for years and years and years,” Trump said.
