Former Trump press secretary warns he'll pay a 'political price' for Venezuela

09 January

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Top Republicans are warning that President Donald Trump must achieve a tough balancing act heading into the midterms, according to a Friday report from Politico, to support the administration's military incursion into Venezuela while addressing voters' major concerns about affordability.

The outlet spoke to various top GOP sources who acknowledged that the White House faces a "midterms messaging challenge" in the wake of capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and claiming to seize control of the country's oil production. Voters, including many in Trump's GOP base, have named the cost of living as their biggest issue, and many of the same voters also supported Trump in 2024, out of a belief that he would end overseas military interventions.

The two issues are viewed by many as non-complimentary, potentially worsening the sentiment that Trump does not genuinely care about reducing costs. Concerns also persist that the invasion of Venezuela could balloon into a messier, long-term conflict that engulfs the narrative around Trump's presidency, as the War on Terror did for then-President George W. Bush.

“There’s a big difference between the nation building and regime change of the neocons and what the president is doing,” Alex Bruesewitz, a leading conservative political consultant, told Politico. "We just need to stay very clear on our message on how our foreign policy impacts us domestically."

Trump and his allies have attempted to spin the Venezuela operation as a positive for U.S. voters, claiming that it will help bring down oil prices. Energy industry experts have countered that the U.S. companies might be hesitant to lend the government a hand in this endeavor, particularly because they are not actually interested in lower prices. The overall cost of the operation and the long-term effort to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure will also reportedly cost billions of American tax dollars over many years.

Many of the sources Politico spoke to concluded that the cost or benefit of the Venezuela operation for Trump will ultimately come down to how smoothly it proceeds.

“They’re selling this Venezuela thing correctly right now,” Sean Spicer, Trump’s former White House press secretary, said. “But if they are seen as not focusing on pocketbook issues and things don’t go well [in Venezuela], you’ll pay a political price.”

“There is a lot that is different about Iraq and Venezuela starting with the fact that 77 senators voted to authorize the engagement. But I think it’s quite likely that Venezuela will completely dominate and consume Trump’s second term,” Mark McKinnon, a former Bush communications aide, added. “Whatever the outcome ends up being — success or disaster — it’s going to be very complicated, and it’s going to take a very long time. And Trump’s second term will likely be judged and defined by whatever happens.”

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