In a departure from her previous role as one of Donald Trump's most vocal supporters, outgoing Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stinging critique of the administration's military intervention in Venezuela.
Labeling the capture of Nicolás Maduro a return to a 'Washington playbook,' Greene warned that the move serves the interests of global financial institutions and energy giants rather than the American working class.
In an exit interview with NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, the Georgia representative argued that the President's burgeoning 'Donroe Doctrine'—a policy aimed at overseeing the total transition of the South American nation—is a betrayal of the isolationist 'America First' platform that defined the 2024 campaign.
Corporate Interests vs. Domestic Priorities
The military operation, which the White House has framed as a necessary step to secure regional 'stability' and 'tremendous energy' for the United States, was characterized by Greene as a repeat of past foreign policy failures in the Middle East.
'This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn't serve the American people,' Greene told NBC's Kristen Welker. 'But [it] actually serves the big corporations, the banks, and the oil executives.'
Greene, who is serving her final day in Congress today following a high-profile rift with the President over the disclosure of Epste'in-related files, suggested that the liberation of Venezuela is being utilized as a smokescreen for a 'resource grab.' She noted that while Americans "celebrated the liberation' of Iraq and Libya, those interventions ultimately failed to deliver tangible benefits to the domestic economy.
The 'Gold Rush' and Job Displacement
A central pillar of Greene's critique is the fear of economic displacement. As the Trump administration signals that American 'Big Oil' will be tasked with the multi-billion dollar reconstruction of Venezuela's derelict oil infrastructure, Greene warned that this could lead to a domestic 'job exodus.'
'I fear that we're going to see jobs just move south because we're already hearing about big corporations lining up their trips to Venezuela for the next big business opportunity,' she said.
The Congresswoman contrasted the projected 'windfall' for banks and oil firms with the economic struggles facing young Americans. She cited 'insulting' 50-year mortgages and the rising costs of healthcare and insurance as evidence that the administration has shifted its focus away from the 'regular hardworking Americans' who voted for a domestic-first agenda.
'My understanding of America First is strictly for the American people, not for the big donors that donate to big politicians,' Greene stated. 'MAGA has its own enemy list, and the enemies of the world are not on their enemy list.'
Security or Selective Intervention?
Greene also questioned the administration's stated motive of neutralizing 'narco-terrorists.' She argued that if national security and the fight against cartels were the primary drivers, the administration's focus would be directed toward the U.S.-Mexico border rather than Caracas.
'If this was really about narco-terrorists and about protecting Americans from cartels and drugs being brought into America, the Trump administration would be attacking the Mexican cartels,' she noted.
A Widening Ideological Schism
The critique highlights a growing ideological divide within the Republican party. While President Trump has maintained that he 'gets to decide what America First means,' Greene's dissent signals that a significant portion of the base may view the Venezuelan venture as a return to the very neoconservative interventionism Trump once campaigned against.
As the US prepares to bring Maduro to trial and begins overseeing the transition in Caracas, the political cost of the operation is becoming a point of contention. For Greene, the focus remains on the special interests she believes are now 'roaming the halls in Washington' to the detriment of the American voter.
'The American people have been put last consistently, decades and decades, by both political parties for far too long,' Greene concluded. 'They voted to tear down the system that consistently goes for foreign wars and regime change.'
