There is a strange dichotomy taking place right now, with the world cheering the U.S. for removing Nicolás Maduro as dictator from one of the worst countries in the world, while American leftists are protesting his arrest for narco-terrorism and continuing to support one of the worst socialists becoming mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani. Hypocritically, the Left put on “No Kings” rallies across the U.S. this year, claiming that President Donald Trump is acting like an authoritarian dictator. But now they are defending Venezuela's dictator, Maduro, staying in power.
More than 100 protesters gathered outside the Brooklyn jail holding Maduro, chanting "Free Maduro right now" and holding signs like "No U.S. War on Venezuela." Hundreds rallied in Times Square with chants of "Hands Off Venezuela," and "US Out," and "No Blood for Oil."
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) posted on X, “I authored a War Powers Resolution to hold the Trump administration accountable for its illegal actions in Venezuela.” Gallego's father, who is originally from Mexico, has a criminal record, including a conviction for possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to distribute, which the younger Gallego admitted in his 2021 memoir, “They Called Us ‘Lucky’.”
Mamdani condemned the arrest of Maduro, calling it a violation of international law — the globalist believes our U.S. laws are subservient to the U.N., no matter how corrupt the U.N. is and how tortured of a legal interpretation must be taken to even get there. He criticized the U.S. action against Maduro as an "act of war" and regime change.
In reality, the U.S. was simply arresting a criminal for crimes against the U.S. related to narco-terrorism. The Trump administration asserted that the Venezuelan government protected and profited from drug trafficking. Doesn’t the U.S. have the right to arrest those who violate our laws? If this were a regime change, then why was Maduro’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, described as a "hardline socialist" and "staunch socialist," sworn into office as president and allowed to replace him?
Mamdani, a longtime member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has made it clear he wants to replace our constitutional Republic with socialist collectivism. "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism," he said.
Even communist Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin didn’t quite make those statements. He said, “Socialist society alone can most fully satisfy these personal interests. More than that, socialist society alone can firmly safeguard the interests of the individual."
In his January 1, 2026, inaugural address, Mamdani declared, “I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”
So far, Mamdani has frozen rents on stabilized apartments, affecting 2 million New Yorkers, launched fare-free public buses and universal childcare funded by higher taxes on high earners. He proposed city-run grocery stores to lower food prices. We all know how well that worked out in Venezuela — it was so bad that even Maduro actually closed them all by 2019.
On day one, Mamdani signed executive orders revitalizing the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, creating task forces to accelerate public housing development on city land. He established an Office of Mass Engagement for grassroots participation, which aims for a $30 minimum wage by 2030.
Venezuela became so bad under Maduro that over one quarter of the population left, close to 8 million people. Many of them came to the U.S. and committed crimes. However, Venezuelans in exile in the U.S., Spain, Peru, Chile, Colombia and elsewhere have erupted in celebrations, with many voicing plans or desires to return soon. Professionals, including doctors, engineers and lawyers, are eager to contribute to rebuilding. Retired Air Force Gen. Blaine Holt said Venezuelans are "celebrating in the streets by the hundreds of thousands."
Under Venezuelan socialism, the country’s economy contracted by 80 percent between 2013 and 2023, the largest peacetime drop ever recorded outside war or state failure. Hyperinflation peaked at 1,300,000 percent in 2018 and over 130,000 percent annually, with prices doubling every few weeks, wiping out savings and wages. Poverty rose from 30 percent in 2013 to 94–96 percent in 2021, with 76–80 percent in extreme poverty, and over 50–82 percent by 2024–2025. There is widespread malnutrition, child hunger and medicine scarcity. Preventable diseases resurged with hospitals lacking basics. Nationwide blackouts occurred in 2019 and other years, with water and electricity unreliable.
There were arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Security forces and pro-regime groups targeted opponents. Elections in 2018 and 2024 were disputed as full of wrongdoing, as the opposition was disqualified, protests were violently suppressed and the media censored.
Critics contend that Mamdani was illegally elected, compounded by ranked-choice voting, which favors progressives. Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa (who had no chance at winning) appeared twice on the ballot due to multiple party nominations. Elon Musk called the ballot a "scam.” A conservative group filed criminal referrals over $13,000 in possible foreign donations.
Similarly, in 2018, major opposition parties boycotted the Venezuelan election due to bans on candidates and parties, asserting that calling the election early violated the constitution. The U.S. called the election an "insult to democracy." In 2024, leading opposition figure María Corina Machado was banned from running. Independent analyses from the Carter Center, U.N. experts and academics found the results statistically improbable. The U.S., E.U., O.A.S. and many Latin American countries rejected the results and recognized Maduro’s opponent as the winner. It was called one of the worst frauds in Latin American history by some experts.
Philosopher George Santayana said over 100 years ago, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Mamdani’s strongest support came from Gen Z, receiving 75-78 percent of their vote. It’s incredibly sad that Charlie Kirk is no longer alive to educate this demographic.