Lindsey Graham lauds Trump’s 'strong commitment' on Venezuela: 'Will save countless American lives'

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: In a social media post on Saturday, November 29, Senator Lindsey Graham publicly backed President Donald Trump’s aggressive threats toward Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his regime in Venezuela, calling the move necessary and justified.

This comes alongside a massive deployment by the US military in the Caribbean region. There were recent naval deployments, positioning of carrier strike groups, and covert operations reportedly authorized by US authorities, actions the government frames as targeting narcotics trafficking.

Lindsey Graham's support for Trump's Venezuela strategy

In his post, Lindsey Graham wrote, “I very much appreciate and respect the determination by President Trump to deal with the d**g caliphate countries that inhabit our backyard — chief among them Venezuela.”

The Republican senator framed Maduro as a bad actor on the world stage, writing, “For over a decade, Maduro has controlled a narcote**orist state that is poisoning America, and he has created alliances with international te**orist organizations like Hezbollah.”

Graham echoed Trump’s view that Maduro is “an illegitimate leader” who retains power through “a reign of terror.”

According to the veteran politician, removing Maduro would benefit both Americans and Venezuelans. He further stated, “President Trump’s strong commitment to end this madness in Venezuela will save countless American lives and will give the beautiful people of Venezuela a new lease on life.” 

He concluded his post with a pointed remark, “I hear Turkey and Iran are lovely this time of year…”

Trump's military pressure and Nicolas Maduro’s outreach

Donald Trump has escalated pressure on Nicolas Maduro, declaring the closure of Venezuelan airspace. In a Truth Social post, he wrote, “To all Airlines, Pilots, D**g Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”

Maduro reportedly sought amnesty during a phone call with Trump sometime last week. In response, the POTUS allegedly told Maduro that his reign was over and demanded that he and his top aides leave Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the US military under US Southern Command has increased deployments around Venezuela.

This includes the arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier along with its strike group, multiple warships, a nuclear submarine, F-35 stealth fighters, and over 15,000 troops under "Operation Southern Spear."

Military commanders said in a statement that the increased forces would "detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities."

Echoing that stance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted, “We have only just begun to kill narco-te**orists.”