Stephen Miller blasted Jake Tapper when he was asked why President Trump was not calling for elections in Venezuela, or trying to install María Corina Machado, the opposition leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, as the president, following a U.S. military operation over the weekend that saw Venezuela's socialist dictator captured in under four hours.
While Tapper expressed concern about violations of Venezuela's sovereignty, Miller explained that U.S. policy toward Venezuela is guided by what benefits the United States, not by efforts to install leaders or build democracy. The ultimate goal, he said, is to ensure Venezuela cannot be used against the U.S. by foreign adversaries.
"One last question, Stephen," Tapper said. "The president was very quick to say that the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, opposition leader Machado in Venezuela doesnt' have the support in Venenzeula to become the next president or the interim leader and I wonder where he got that from given that her cut out, Gonzales won the elction two years ago overhwlemingy, 70 percent of the vote or something like that. Why does the president think that Machado should not be the next leader? Why does he think she’s weak?”
"First of all, all Venezuala experts agree, all Venezuala experts agree," Miller said. "That it would be absurd and preposterous for us to suddenly fly her into the country and put her in charge. And the military would follow her? And the security forces would follow her? This is not even a serious question!"
"Should there be an election?" Tapper asked.
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"If you'll give me the floor for 30 seconds," Miller said. "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. We're a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower. It is absurd that we would allow a nation in our own backyard to become the supplier of resources to our adversaries but not to us. To hoard weapons from our adversaries, to be able to be positioned as an asset against the United States rather than on behalf of the United States."
"Sovereign countries shouldn't be able to do what they want to do?" Tapper asked.
"The Monroe Doctrine and the Trump Doctrine is all about securing the national interests of America," Miller said. "For years we sent our soldiers to die in deserts in the Middle East, to try and build them parliaments to try and build them..."
"But Stepehen..." Tapper interjected.
"To try to build them democracies, to try to give them more oil, to try to give them more resources," Miller continued. "The future of the free world, Jake, depends on America being able to assert ourselves, our interests, without apology. Period."
He then explained that after World War II, the U.S. began apologizing for being a superpower and for exerting its influence on the world.
"I don't even know, honestly, what you're talking about right now," Tapper said.
"You love doing that smarmy thing, Jake," Miller replied. "And I was hoping you'd be better at it this time."
"I asked you about if there should be an election," Tapper said. "I asked you if there would be an election in Venezuela, that's what I asked."
"The objective, Jake, is security and stability for the people of Venezuela," Miller said. "With our help and leadership, that country will become more prosperous than it has ever been in its whole history."
"But the woman running Venezuela right now is part of the Maduro regime," Tapper said.
"There will be conversations, Jake, about all of these guideposts along the way. The reason why I was giving you that speech, which I know you didn't want to hear, is because 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."
"No, that's not what I think," Tapper replied. "But you invaded the country, we went into the country and we seized the leader of Venezuela."
"Damn straight we did!" Miller exclaimed. "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."
JUST IN: CNN's Jake Tapper ends interview after fiery clash with Stephen Miller over the future of Venezuela.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 5, 2026
Tapper: "We went into the country, and we seized the leader of Venezuela..."
Miller: "D*mn straight we did!! We're not going to let tin-pot communist dictators send… pic.twitter.com/aU5frDnvGN
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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