Sanders blasts Trump’s Venezuela strike: "iIllegal, dangerous, constitution-breaking"

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump’s military operation in Venezuela, calling it a violation of both the U.S. Constitution and international law. 

In a video posted on social media, the Vermont independent labeled the action “illegal, dangerous, and contrary to the president’s campaign promises.”

“The President of the United States does not have the authority to unilaterally drag the country into war, even against a corrupt and brutal dictator like Nicolás Maduro,” Sanders said. 

He urged Congress to pass a war powers resolution quickly to halt what he described as an “illegal military operation” and to reassert legislative oversight over decisions of war and peace.

Sanders warned that the intervention would make neither the U.S. nor the world safer and called it a “flagrant violation of international law.” 

He drew a comparison with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justification for invading Ukraine, arguing that such logic of force sets a dangerous precedent for regime change through violence.

The senator also criticized the Trump administration for what he described as a revival of the Monroe Doctrine, labeling it an “imperialist ideology” aimed at asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere. He suggested that references by officials to Venezuela’s oil reserves indicate economic motives behind the security rhetoric.

Finally, Sanders contrasted Trump’s foreign policy with pressing domestic challenges. Highlighting that nearly 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, that healthcare is under strain, and that housing is increasingly unaffordable, he urged the president to focus on internal crises rather than “military adventurism abroad.”