MAGA Gives Itself Whiplash in Total Reversal of Key Creed
Trump’s supporters are scrambling to revise their stance on interventions overseas after years of railing against the practice.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A number of staunch Donald Trump supporters have pulled a U-turn and abandoned their “America First” agenda after the president’s Venezuela operation.
The president and his MAGA base have long railed against the U.S. entering more “forever wars” overseas and repeatedly called for a focus on improving the lives of Americans rather than intervening in international affairs.
But several high-profile MAGA figures are now scrambling to rewrite the concept of “America First” after Trump publicly tossed it aside with his attack on Venezuela and abduction of its leader, Nicolás Maduro, who now faces “narco-terrorism” charges in New York.
Trump has also said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela for the foreseeable future, before going on to threaten military action against several other countries, including Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Greenland.

The Trump administration saw the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro unfold live.
Donald Trump's Truth Social Account/Anadolu via Getty Images
“‘America First’ never meant isolationist. That’s a neocon smear,” far-right MAGA podcaster and commentator Jack Posobiec told Axios. “One of the biggest splits that you will see is geography.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“There are a lot more ‘America First’ guys who are willing to be more aggressive within our hemisphere than across the world,” he added.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Trump ally, was among the lawmakers who initially questioned the legality of Trump’s strikes on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, as a potential act of war not approved by Congress.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Lee quickly pivoted, not only suggesting the attack was constitutional under the “president’s inherent authority under Article II,” but also openly calling for a U.S.-backed regime change in the South American country.
“What should be Marco Rubio’s title in Venezuela?” Lee posted on X on Saturday, while sharing an AI-generated image of the secretary of state in full Maduro-esque military attire and sash.

Sen. Mike Lee shared the image to his 636,000 X followers
X/Mike Lee
Matt Boyle, editor of the pro-Trump news site Breitbart News, suggested that Trump launching an attack on Venezuela while threatening other countries amounts to the president “protecting the American interest in the Western Hemisphere.”
“He did so with a quick and decisive military and law enforcement action—not a long, drawn-out war,” Boyle told Axios. “This is ‘America First’ in action.”
Raheem Kassam, editor-in-chief of The National Pulse and former editor-in-chief of Breitbart London, also attempted to portray the America First president’s threats to destabilize the South American continent as a positive development.
“If there are to be puppets, they will be American puppets, not Chinese puppets,” he told Axios.

Nicolas Maduro was arrested in Trump's surprise Venezuela operation.
XNY/Star Max/GC Images
However, not all MAGA figures have embraced a hawkish turn following Trump’s capture of Maduro.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from office on Monday after falling out with Trump over foreign policy and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, issued a damning statement questioning the rationale behind the Venezuela operation.
“If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasn’t the Trump admin taken action against Mexican cartels?” Greene asked on X.
“Americans’ disgust with our own government’s never-ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it, and both parties, Republicans and Democrats, always keep the Washington military machine funded and going,” she added. “This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.




ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT