Americans are against Trump's aggression

Yusuf Tuna Koç

With Trump bombing Venezuela last week and kidnapping Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores to bring them to the US, discussions have arisen that a new era is beginning for the whole world. The US's barbaric implementation of the phrase ‘the Western hemisphere is ours,’ emphasised in its National Security Strategy, while trampling on international law and lacking any legitimate basis, has raised many concerns about the future direction of the world.

The most talked about issue is that the US is resorting to more weapons as it loses its hegemony. As a Chinese proverb says, ‘if there are big shadows of small people somewhere, it means the sun is setting there.’ Today, Trump's shadow is reaching Latin America, the living representatives of the Bolivarian revolution, with special forces and F-35s.

AMERICANS ARE AGAINST TRUMP'S AGGRESSION

There are many different perspectives being discussed today regarding the US focusing on Latin America, particularly Venezuela. The weakening of US global hegemony, regional competition with China, efforts to eliminate the socialist experiment, hegemony over energy resources...

We discussed all this and more with American socialist academic Jodi Dean.

How did the US public and progressive factions in the country react to these events?

First, let me present the most traditional approach, namely what the polls show: Polls indicate that most Americans oppose the Trump administration's aggression towards Venezuela, Maduro's abduction, and the bombing of ships in the Caribbean and Venezuela. Therefore, most Americans are against these developments. What is more surprising and exciting is that tens of thousands of people took to the streets at over 100 locations across the country on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday alone, there were protests lasting 6-8 hours at 75 locations. Progressive groups are the first to participate in these protests. However, people with much more average, even conservative views are also participating in the protests. Alongside mainstream anti-Trump groups such as the 50501 Movement, ordinary people who have never protested before are also taking to the streets against the invasion of Venezuela. Another interesting situation is that the MAGA coalition is also taking a critical stance. They believed Trump would focus on rebuilding the US and not get involved in these wars. Therefore, there is also serious backlash on the right. While mainstream Democratic politicians support intervention in Venezuela, a significant portion of the right-wing base opposes it. This is one reason why there is such a large reaction in over 50 cities across the country.

So there is serious backlash against Trump not adhering to the policy of isolationism he promised during the election. Why did Trump narrow his focus to Latin America with this Monroe Doctrine? Is this an imperial crisis, or can we say more than that?

I think there are many factors. Marco Rubio should not be underestimated here. He consistently targets the Cuban government and argues that socialist experiments must be eliminated. He is also against the Bolivarian revolution because of the close relationship between Venezuela and Cuba. Therefore, Marco Rubio's targeting of socialist popular governments in Latin America and his position as one of Trump's most trusted advisors are important factors. Another element is the foolish Donroe Doctrine, which focuses on Latin America and is not independent of China policy. Because of China's connections with Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, what the US is trying to eliminate while rebuilding its hegemony in this hemisphere is the influence of China and Russia. Therefore, all of this must be considered together; the focus on Latin America does not mean retreating from policy against China. The bizarre, irrational calls for the occupation of Greenland are also connected to this. It should also be added that Trump mentioned Greenland during his first term. At that time, he also tried to declare Guaido the president of Venezuela. This situation applies to both parties in the US, both of which share the same view on interventions and embargoes against Venezuela. Therefore, Trump is not going too far; he is simply advancing the policies pursued by Biden and Obama in a much more overt manner.

NO BENEFIT FOR THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Do the attacks that could be directed at Venezuela today and perhaps Colombia, Cuba or Nicaragua tomorrow have any domestic political significance, or any meaning in terms of the country's economy or grassroots consolidation?

There is no populist perspective. This issue is kept on the agenda in discussions on social media and in the local media. However, when you evaluate it from the perspective of everyday life, the real issues are different. For example, Mamdani's election campaign was shaped around purchasing power because that was the ordinary person's agenda. Now, embarking on these adventures does not solve the purchasing power crisis, nor does it solve the economic situation where housing has become impossible for the majority of the people, prices are constantly rising, and young people are finding it increasingly difficult to find work. The people are very concerned about the direction of the economy, and these adventures are not working. Furthermore, these radical deportation policies are increasingly worrying the people. The abduction of people who have lived in this country for years and the house raids have caused a huge reaction among the public. Even in places where people say they don't want criminals or illegal immigrants, the abduction of neighbours they have worked with for years is angering even conservatives. They too feel seriously unsettled.

Furthermore, everyone is aware that increasing military tensions in Central and Latin America will not solve the immigration problem; on the contrary, it will exacerbate it. When military interventions take place, when people's countries are under attack, when their economies collapse as a result, people migrate. Americans are aware of this too. Furthermore, no one believes the claims about narco-terrorism and drugs. They realise this is fabricated, contrived propaganda. Even the Drug Enforcement Administration's own data shows that Venezuela is not the source of drugs coming to the US. So we see a clear attempt at power grab and continental hegemony, but it lacks popular support.

With the by-elections so close, if it doesn't have the grassroots support you mentioned, isn't this move meaningless in terms of domestic politics?

Yes, Trump is not popular at all right now. Do you know who else is not popular? The Democrats. So, the elections we have are unpopular and not popular at all. The Democrats cannot gain political advantage from a president whom no one likes, they cannot gather votes, it is really very difficult for them to succeed. A few days ago, Trump said, ‘MAGA loves me, I am MAGA, my base supports me.’ He is fooling himself to a delusional degree. He doesn't really care what happens to the Republican Party, he will leave in a few years. That's why he's trying to do everything he can while he's still in power, as quickly as possible; he doesn't really care about election politics.

So, as some claim, Trump won't defy the constitution and try for a third term?

I'm very bad at predictions. I don't think he'll try to get re-elected, but I don't have a crystal ball, so I don't know.

Then I want to ask about another conspiracy theory. To be more precise, there aren't many conspiracies left, but the Epstein case is one of the most talked about topics in the US recently. It's clear that it's a huge scandal, but how much impact is it really having on the American people? Trump's intervention immediately after the files were made public was also seen as a distraction. What do you think about that?

That's a very good question. What is clear is that the attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife were partly intended to push the Epstein case out of the headlines and reduce people's interest in it. In addition, the attacks on fishing boats in the Caribbean and the reactions against Maduro also began when the Epstein case broke. I don't think the moves against Venezuela are driven by the Epstein case; they are related to independent American interests, to destroying the Bolivarian revolution. But on the other hand, timing-wise, it has also been beneficial to push the Epstein case off the front pages.

THE LEFT IS EXPERIENCING A CRISIS OF WILL

Perhaps more as a lament than a question, you mentioned how fed up the working class is with the elites of social democratic politics. This situation parallels that in Turkey. All the attacks on Latin America or other regions reveal the crisis of neoliberalism; the system produces instability, not prosperity.

However, social democrats, especially in opposition, are presenting old neoliberal fairy tales as new economic solutions, here the CHP, there the Democrats. They say, ‘They are not implementing the system correctly, they do not understand the market,’ but no one is interested in this anymore. Even the oligarchs realise that the system is not working, the working class realises it, but the social democrats are still trying to inflate this bubble.

This is an extremely important point. It is very interesting that this problem is occurring all over the world. Neoliberalism is collapsing, so what happens now? The left is unable to produce an effective alternative; how is this possible? It shouldn't be that difficult. You impose heavy taxes on the richest, you develop a strategy of nationalisation instead of all kinds of private economic financing or support, social support for the entire population, employment, public education, housing, transport... It's not difficult to defend these things. The problem is the reluctance to stand up to the billionaire class. It's a problem of lack of will. It's crazy that people like Trump are sending the message that if you dare to do something, you can bring about concrete change. We need to stop saying we can't do this, we can't change that. The most important thing today shows us that nothing is impossible anymore.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Amerikalılar Trump saldırganlığına karşı, published in BirGün newspaper on January 11, 2026.