Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is real, and it's infected the Democratic Party in ways that defy all understanding. One of the most TDS-afflicted Democrats is Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who hasn't met an illegal immigrant he didn't want to have margaritas with, but who has scant time for the victims of Biden's open-borders policies, including Maryland mom Rachel Morin, who was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant named Victor Martinez-Hernandez.
Like most of his fellow Democrats, Van Hollen is upset his communist comrade in Venezuela was deposed and captured by President Trump. Van Hollen issued a statement on X about it earlier on Saturday.
Trump and his cronies can try to dress this up, but it is an illegal act of war to replace Maduro and grab Venezuela's oil for his billionaire buddies.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) January 3, 2026
Full statement below: pic.twitter.com/NCjByoVS2o
“The American people did not ask for this act of war to bring about regime change in Venezuela – nor did Congress authorize it. President Trump has put our troops in harm’s way, and he has not provided a clear, fact-based rationale for these actions, nor the long-term strategy following these strikes," the statement read. "This Administration owes the American people and the Congress immediate answers. This act of war is a grave abuse of power by the President. The Trump Administration is repeating the worst mistakes of our past and endangering American lives – and their motive for doing so is a farce. Trump seized Maduro and his wife just weeks after he pardoned former Honduran President – and notorious convicted drug kingpin – Juan Orlando Hernández. Maduro is a dictator, but his regime did not pose the immediate threat necessary to warrant U.S. military action on foreign soil without Congressional approval. This is not about demolishing a dictatorship, as we’ve seen Trump cozy up to dictators around the world. This is about trying to grab Venezuela’s oil for Trump’s billionaire buddies. Congress must not abdicate its constitutional authority and allow control of the world’s most powerful military to fall into just one set of hands.”
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele dragged Van Hollen for his statement, responding, "So you just want to defend thugs."
So you just want to defend thugs. https://t.co/WptuahoZ09
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) January 3, 2026
That clearly struck a nerve with Van Hollen, who replied, "You don’t see me out here defending you. Or Maduro for that matter, but I know the rule of law is a difficult concept for someone who calls himself 'the world's coolest dictator.'"
You don’t see me out here defending you.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) January 3, 2026
Or Maduro for that matter, but I know the rule of law is a difficult concept for someone who calls himself "the world's coolest dictator." https://t.co/eFR0ykDHDt
Bukele turned around El Salvador's economy and reduced the country's astronomical crime rate, so we'll take his track record over Van Hollen's any day of the week.
But that's a topic for another article.
It sure sounded like Van Hollen was defending Maduro in that statement.
After all, saying Maduro's "regime did not pose the immediate threat necessary to warrant U.S. military action on foreign soil without Congressional approval" isn't a condemnation of Maduro at all. It's a defense.
But last year, Van Hollen was singing a very different tune on Maduro.
Here's the grifter known as Chris Van Hollen in 2024 declaring that Maduro absolutely lost the election, is not legitimate, and has to be removed from power. https://t.co/p8Ayyq5yDx pic.twitter.com/k4rwJCjyFt
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 4, 2026
In that appearance, Van Hollen said, "Well, we stand with the Venezuelan people who overwhelmingly, it turns out, voted for Gonzalez and against Maduro," Van Hollen said. "This is why many of us called immediately for transparency for the Maduro...regime to release the results. And there's a reason, Jose, that they hid those results."
"Gonzalez has, you know, won comfortably here," Van Hollen continued. "And so this is clearly an effort to deny the will of the people. Maduro lost."
"He is trying to cling on to this claim of legitimacy that he won, when all the evidence shows otherwise," Van Hollen said. "So this is why Secretary Blinken did...the right thing, recognizing the real winner here, Gonzalez. And this is why the United States is now going to use its leverage and influence to push for negotiations to transition to the truly elected leader, Gonzalez. We know Maduro and his cronies do not want to go quietly into the night. The United States needs to work with our partners and allies in the region to ratchet up the pressure on behalf of the Venezuelan people."
But Democrats can never, ever, let President Trump have a win. They must always demonize and attack him, no matter what he does. They seem to forget, however, that the Internet is forever, and they can't get away with this double standard.
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