Trump Says U.S. Is “In Charge” of Venezuela — But What Happens Next? | Pivot
Kara Swisher (host), Don Lemon (guest), Stephanie Ruhle (guest), Brooke Hammerling (guest), Kara Swisher (host), Don Lemon (guest)
In this episode of Pivot, featuring Kara Swisher and Don Lemon, Trump Says U.S. Is “In Charge” of Venezuela — But What Happens Next? | Pivot explores trump’s Venezuela Gamble, MAGA Fractures, and a Gay Hockey Phenomenon The episode examines President Trump’s surprise military intervention in Venezuela, his claim that the U.S. is now “in charge” of the country, and the downstream consequences for democracy, global norms, and the U.S. economy. Don Lemon flags the action as chaotic and precedent-setting, highlighting Trump’s impunity and parallels between Maduro’s alleged crimes and Trump’s own behavior. Stephanie Ruhle dissects the economic and Wall Street angles, arguing this is fundamentally about oil, deregulation, and fragile K-shaped growth that could be destabilized by Trump’s de‑globalization agenda. Brooke Hammerling explores the cultural reaction—from TikTok memes of Maduro as a fashion icon to the viral success of the low‑budget Canadian show "Heated Rivalry"—as evidence of how social media, independent content, and new forms of “woke” storytelling are reshaping culture and politics. The trio ends with predictions about MAGA fracturing, AI’s unchecked rise, Elon Musk’s quiet consolidation of power, and a potential cultural shift toward “love and kindness” after years of political exhaustion.
Trump’s Venezuela Gamble, MAGA Fractures, and a Gay Hockey Phenomenon
The episode examines President Trump’s surprise military intervention in Venezuela, his claim that the U.S. is now “in charge” of the country, and the downstream consequences for democracy, global norms, and the U.S. economy. Don Lemon flags the action as chaotic and precedent-setting, highlighting Trump’s impunity and parallels between Maduro’s alleged crimes and Trump’s own behavior. Stephanie Ruhle dissects the economic and Wall Street angles, arguing this is fundamentally about oil, deregulation, and fragile K-shaped growth that could be destabilized by Trump’s de‑globalization agenda. Brooke Hammerling explores the cultural reaction—from TikTok memes of Maduro as a fashion icon to the viral success of the low‑budget Canadian show "Heated Rivalry"—as evidence of how social media, independent content, and new forms of “woke” storytelling are reshaping culture and politics. The trio ends with predictions about MAGA fracturing, AI’s unchecked rise, Elon Musk’s quiet consolidation of power, and a potential cultural shift toward “love and kindness” after years of political exhaustion.
Key Takeaways
Trump’s Venezuela move is less about drugs and more about oil and power.
The panel underscores that Trump repeatedly mentioned oil and consulted oil executives—but not Congress—before and after Maduro’s capture, signaling autocratic priorities and corporate interests over democratic process or drug enforcement.
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Each unchecked Trump escalation emboldens further norm-breaking at home and abroad.
Lemon argues Trump has been surprised by how much he can get away with, and every non‑consequence—from pardons to detentions and now invading a sovereign country—lowers the bar for future abuses of power.
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Wall Street can arbitrage crises in days; citizens and governments live with the long tail.
Ruhle explains that investors “went long Venezuela” and can exit quickly, while U. ...
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Social media trivializes serious events but also drives real political perception.
Maduro’s arrest quickly turned into memes about his Nike tracksuit and even fashion-influencer status, reflecting how TikTok culture—and increasingly MAGA‑leaning algorithms—can reframe geopolitics as entertainment and distort public focus.
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Low-budget, authentic content can now outcompete prestige TV in cultural impact.
“Heated Rivalry,” made for a fraction of major U. ...
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The Democratic Party’s energy is with progressives, but electoral wins still hinge on local fit.
Lemon says voters are most animated by figures like AOC, Jasmine Crockett, and Bernie Sanders, while Ruhle counters that moderates such as Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger are what win in some states—underscoring the need for a true big‑tent strategy.
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Tech and AI titans are amassing unprecedented power amid a regulatory vacuum.
Ruhle warns that AI will permeate every part of life, yet federal and even state regulation has stalled; as a result, a tiny group of ultra‑rich tech leaders—Musk among them—are becoming more powerful than most governments, with minimal oversight.
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Notable Quotes
““How can a tyrant arrest or detain another tyrant?””
— Don Lemon
““Congress was not notified, but businesses were. That’s how autocracies run.””
— Stephanie Ruhle
““Now that there’s no rules in the jungle… we’re breaking international law and world norms, what could happen around the world?””
— Stephanie Ruhle
““This is where the media is going… something that’s small can have lift.””
— Don Lemon
““My prediction is, honestly, love and kindness will reign supreme. People are so exhausted.””
— Stephanie Ruhle
Questions Answered in This Episode
What legal and constitutional checks, if any, realistically exist on Trump’s ability to unilaterally intervene in places like Venezuela for economic gain?
The episode examines President Trump’s surprise military intervention in Venezuela, his claim that the U. ...
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How might China, Russia, or other global powers reinterpret and exploit the precedent of the U.S. seizing control of Venezuela’s government and oil sector?
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If TikTok’s algorithm is increasingly MAGA-leaning, what does that mean for youth political socialization and the 2026–2028 elections?
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Can the Democratic Party reconcile its energized progressive base with swing‑district moderates without tearing itself apart or ceding ground to Trumpism 2.0?
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As AI expands under minimal regulation, what concrete mechanisms could realistically rebalance power away from a handful of tech oligarchs and toward democratic oversight?
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Transcript Preview
I wonder if Donald Trump is watching Heated Rivalry. Interesting. (instrumental music) Hi, everyone. This is Pivot from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. I'm Kara Swisher, and welcome to 2026. Scott is still away at, uh, undisclosed location. I can't go into it, but there's so much going on that I've assembled a super group of smart folks to help me cover it all. We've got Don Lemon from The Don Lemon Show, Stephanie Ruhle from MS NOW's The 11th Hour, and Brooke Hamerlin, communication specialist, podcaster, and culture guru
Mm-hmm.
... time, the Pop Culture Mondays newsletter. I want to talk about 2026 going forward so I put this team together that could talk about anything. Welcome everybody. We've got to dig into a bunch of things and each, everyone's gonna sort of focus on Stephanie with business, Don in politics, Brooke with culture, but anybody could weigh in on anything at all. So any thoughts would be great. Um, so President Trump says the U.S. is in qu- is, quote, "in charge of Venezuela" following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife over the weekend. As we record, the two are set to be arraigned in a Manhattan federal court on drug trafficking weapons charges. Trump is also putting pressure on Venezuela's acting leader, warning if she doesn't do what's right, she's gonna pay a very big price. I don't know what that means. He's not backing Venezuela's opposition leader, reportedly because he's annoyed she won the Nobel Prize over him and then didn't give it to him. Trump is now threatening Colombia- Colombia, uh, saying, and saying Cuba looks like it's, quote, "ready to fall" and talking about taking Greenland again. I don't know what's in his wheaties. It seems to be part of his Donrow Doctrine as he's coined it, after the Monroe Doctrine for those who know history. Um, it sounds just as idiotic as it seems. Uh, Don, let's start with you. There's a lot to get through, but let's start with the big picture. What is happening over there at the White House and what do you make of all this? Obviously, there's Epstein issues, uh, economy issues, healthcare issues that he may be trying to avoid, but thoughts?
Well, I think the obvious is that it's chaos. I mean, it, it's chaotic for the country. It's, it's bad for the country. Um, I think that, I believe, and I think, Kara, maybe you, you have said this as well, and I agree with you if you did sa- say it, is that I, I think that Donald Trump i- has been surprised by how much he's been able to get away with. And every time he gets away with something, it emboldens him to do something else, uh, to do something that's even worse. I was listening to uh, uh, uh um, a podcast over the holidays, and it had quotes from Barack Obama, uh, in there. And everything he said about what was gonna happen in the second, uh, Donald Trump administration really came true. And he said, and I'm, I'm paraphrasing here. He said, "We've seen this movie before, and we know the sequel is always worse." And so the more Donald Trump gets away with, if he is allowed to pardon people and there's not enough uproar about it and nothing happens and he's gonna, um, uh, pick, he's gonna arrest people without due process on the streets or detain them, uh, even if they're American citizens, or he's going to invade sovereign countries. Now I think everyone on this panel and everyone can agree that something needed to be done about Maduro. He's a bad person. But it's just the way that he did it. And, um, look, how can a tyrant... (laughs)
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