Show me more content from TIME on Google Search
by
Reporter
President Donald Trump has heralded his operation in Venezuela as a victory, praising the “spectacular assault” that led to the successful capture of fallen President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. However, while the Trump Administration celebrates what it considers to be a win, others have voiced serious concerns about the way in which the U.S. conducted its assault.
The United Nations on Tuesday said the action from the U.S. has made “all States less safe around the world.” This follows significant criticism and caution from world leaders regarding the Venezuela operation. Furthermore, since Saturday’s pre-dawn raid in Caracas, Trump has threatened that the U.S. may carry out interventions elsewhere in the world, prompting further concern and disapproval.
At home in the U.S., calls for the President’s impeachment are now gaining momentum, as some Democratic lawmakers, along with prominent figures in the political space, demand that action be taken.
Rep. April McClain Delaney of Maryland on Monday called for the Democratic Caucus to “imminently consider impeachment proceedings” against Trump in response to his military action in Venezuela.
How the World Is Reacting to the U.S. Capture of Nicolás Maduro
“Over the weekend, we saw the President—without authorization or approval from Congress, as required by our Constitution—launch an attack on Venezuela and voice his intention to ‘run’ the country,” said Delaney, who criticized her Republican colleagues, accusing them of “allowing Trump to defy the rule of law.”
Advertisement
Urging a response from Congress, Delaney added: “It is time—full stop—for Congress to step up to the plate and stop this Administration’s unauthorized and harmful actions.”
This was just the latest serious call for impeachment, as many Democrat lawmakers have labeled Trump’s actions in Venezuela an “impeachable” matter.
Calls for Trump’s impeachment gather momentum
California state Sen. Scott Wiener, who is running for Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s Congress seat, has called for Trump to be impeached over, what he refers to as, the “illegal invasion and coup in Venezuela.”
“Trump illegally invaded Venezuela, seizing and bombing the capitol, seizing the country’s oil assets, and taking President Maduro and his wife prisoner,” said Weiner in a press release issued on Jan. 3.
Advertisement
“Trump has no legal authority to invade Venezuela, given lack of authorization by Congress. This lawless act is yet another impeachable offense by this thug President,” claimed Wiener, who cited concerns that the President’s actions could prompt “China to invade Taiwan and Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine.”
Yalonda M. James—Getty Images
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez of Illinois described Maduro’s capture as a “kidnapping” and insisted the operation was “illegal” and amounted to “dangerous violations of international and U.S. law.”
“Trump and his Administration are out of control because they believe they are untouchable. But they are not… Trump must be impeached,” said Ramirez, who called for the War Powers Resolution, submitted by Rep. Ilhan Omar last September, to be passed.
Advertisement
The resolution, which calls “to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities that have not been authorized by Congress,” was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs after its submission and is still awaiting a hearing.
Rep. Dan Goldman of New York accused Trump of using the same “illegal and unconstitutional tactics as Maduro” in the operation, saying that such action “not only undermines our democracy and violates our Constitution but also emboldens dictators around the world.”
“I believe President Trump’s true motivation is to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil resources as a favor to American oil executives who helped get him elected,” alleged Goldman, who referred to the operation as a “violation of the United States Constitution” that amounts to “an impeachable offense.”
Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who is also co-chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, said that Trump had no authority “to bypass Congress to launch military strikes against a sovereign nation, while brazenly admitting that controlling Venezuela’s oil is part of his motivation.”
Advertisement
“Many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” said Waters in reference to previous attempts to impeach Trump during his first term as President.
In an email to TIME on Monday, the White House defended the Venezuela operation and accused Democrats of taking “twisted stands” in the wake of the military intervention.
“At President Trump’s direction, the Administration lawfully executed a federal arrest warrant against Nicolás Maduro, which was issued by a federal judge for Maduro’s corrupt and criminal actions as a narcoterrorist trafficking illicit narcotics into the United States,” said White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly.
When has Trump previously faced impeachment?
In December 2019, Trump faced two articles of impeachment when he was accused of leveraging foreign assistance to Ukraine in order to coerce the country’s new Administration to investigate Joe Biden, who at the time was the former Vice President.
Advertisement
The House of Representatives voted mostly along party lines to impeach the President, sending the case to the Senate. Trump was ultimately acquitted by the Senate in February 2020.
A year later, the President was impeached for a second time in a historic House vote. He was accused of provoking violent protesters to storm the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riots. The Senate once again acquitted Trump, falling short of the 67 majority vote needed, with only 57 Senators voting in favor of the impeachment.
Trump says he could be impeached if Republicans lose Congress in midterms
US president predicts an ‘epic’ victory for his party in the November vote that will determine control of the House and Senate.
Published On 6 Jan 20266 Jan 2026
Click here to share on social media
Share
Save
President Donald Trump has warned Republicans in the United States House of Representatives that, if the party fails to win a majority in November’s midterm elections, he will get impeached.
Speaking to legislators at a Republican retreat in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Trump stressed the importance of keeping control of the chamber, where his party has a razor-thin majority.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items
- list 1 of 3What to know about Trump’s plan on Venezuela
- list 2 of 3Congress’s role questioned as Democrats vow to rein in Trump on Venezuela
- list 3 of 3Venezuela’s Machado says she hasn’t spoken to Trump since October
end of list
“You’ve got to win the midterms because, if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just going to be — I mean, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” the US president said. “I’ll be impeached.”
The House can impeach the president and other officials for misconduct, including “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors”. An impeached president would then stand trial in the Senate, which can convict and remove him from office with a two-thirds vote.
All 435 House seats will be up for grabs in November as well as 33 positions in the Senate.
- Now Playing00:58
Trump praises tactically ‘brilliant’ operation against Nicolas Maduro - Next02:16
Burundi struggles to support thousands fleeing DR Congo violence
Show more videos
House members are elected in districts drawn by the states in accordance with the size of their populations. Senators are elected in state-wide elections.
Trump has been pushing Republican-controlled states to pass new congressional district maps that would favour the right-wing party — a strategy known as gerrymandering, which critics say is inherently undemocratic.
Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have passed redistricting to boost Republican candidates. Democrats have responded with their own gerrymandering in California, which was approved through a ballot initiative.
Advertisement
Trump heads into the midterm elections with an approval rating of around 42 to 45 percent, according to various polls.
Get instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen.Yes, keep me updated
With the economy starting to show signs of stagnation and the recent US military action to abduct Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro proving unpopular, Democrats may capitalise on the discontent to win back control of Congress.
Trump nevertheless appeared optimistic about his party’s chances on Tuesday. “We’re going to make history and break records with the epic midterm victory that we’re going to pull off,” he said.
Still, he expressed bewilderment at why Republicans do not have more support.
“I wish you could explain to me what the hell is going on with the mind of the public, because we have the right policy,” Trump said. “They [Democrats] have horrible policy. They do stick together. They’re violent. They’re vicious.”
Over the past year, some Democrats have called for impeaching Trump over alleged misconduct, pointing to incidents like June’s military strikes against Iran, which were not authorised by Congress. But with the left-wing party in the minority, no impeachment proposals have advanced.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term. The first instance came in 2019, when he was accused of abuse of power for allegedly using US aid to Ukraine as leverage to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate former US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
The second impeachment came in 2021, after Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6 of that year. Trump was accused of inciting an insurrection, after he spread false claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost.
The Senate acquitted Trump both times. In the 2021 trial, 57 senators found him guilty after he had left office, but the result fell short of the 67 votes required for a conviction.
Had Trump been convicted, he would not have been able to run again in 2024.
No US president has ever been removed from office by the Senate. Richard Nixon resigned from the White House over the Watergate scandal in 1974 before a vote was taken on his impeachment.
In more recent times, Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 for lying under oath about having sexual relations with a White House intern. The Senate also acquitted him.
