Senior White House advisor Stephen Miller delivered an unapologetic, full-throated defense of the operation that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a recent appearance on CNN.
That defense came about during Miller's appearance with His Almighty Smugness, Jake Tapper.
Tapper questioned why Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado wasn't the proper choice to replace Maduro as president, or even as a temporary leader.
“All Venezuela experts agree that it would be absurd and preposterous for us to suddenly fly her into the country and to put her in charge. And the military would follow her? And the security forces would follow her?” Miller dismissed. “This isn’t—this is not a serious—it’s not even a serious question.”
The administration has viewed Machado as lacking sufficient support to lead immediately.
Tapper then wondered if elections should be held.
"Let me tell you what we are doing here, Jake. The United States, this is sort of foundational. The United States is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere," he responded. "We're a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower."
Miller went on to point out that the United States once acted in this manner, but has since been on its heels in trying to defend its actions as a superpower and a world influencer.
"I don't even know, honestly, what you're talking about right now," Tapper chirped.
"You love doing that smarmy thing, Jake," Miller fired back. "And I was hoping you'd be better than that this time."
As brilliant as Miller is, why anyone would assume Tapper would be better is beyond explanation. But things really got testy at this point.
🚨 BREAKING: Stephen Miller just went NUCLEAR on Jake Tapper on national television 🔥
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 5, 2026
MILLER: "This whole period after WWII where the West APOLOGIZED, and GROVELING, and BEGGING..."
TAPPER: I don't know what you're even talking about right now.
MILLER: "You LOVE doing that… pic.twitter.com/3UgJ1L0uEE
READ MORE: Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado Shares Who She Thinks Should Lead After Maduro Capture
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Miller pointed out to Tapper that the Trump administration will be discussing developing "guideposts" to bring Venezuela under control.
"You're approaching this from the wrong frame. This neo-liberal frame, that the United States' job is to go around the world and demand immediate elections be held everywhere, immediately, all the time, right away," he said.
"No, that's not what I think," Tapper countered. "But you invaded the country, we went into the country, and we seized the leader of Venezuela."
"Damn straight we did!" Miller shouted. "The point, Jake, is that we are not going to let tin pot communist dictators send rapists into our country, send drugs into our country, send weapons into our country, and we are not going to let a country fall into the hands of our adversaries."
Jake didn't feel compelled to note that Maduro was not the legitimate leader. Or that the U.S. had conducted a precision strike, not an invasion. Nor did he care to note that Machado herself had said Venezuela had already been invaded by a regime that "turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas."
Every word that comes out of his mealy mouth is meant to frame a particular narrative.
Miller didn't fall for it. He not only owned the Trump administration's decisive strike against a dangerous narco-regime but also exposed the tired, apologetic mindset that has weakened America for decades. And he refused to entertain naive demands from Tapper for instant elections or a commitment to propping up unviable opposition figures.
Miller concluded by declaring the flawless strike to capture Maduro was "one of the greatest foreign policy and military victories this country has ever had."
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