The Capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro
On Saturday Jan. 3, 2026, in an early morning operation, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured by United States Delta Forces and brought to the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York to face federal charges such as naro-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that Maduro is the head of Cartel de los Soles, an alleged drug trafficking network, which is why he is “under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.” While Rubio and others involved continue to push this narrative, some are skeptical of that being the sole reason for the capture due to Venezuela having the largest oil reserves in the world.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy stated that he heard in a closed door briefing that the Trump administration is going to “take the oil by force.” He continued by adding that he has heard “no detailed plan” on Venezuela’s stability, thus giving skeptics another reason to doubt the surprise operation.
On the other hand, Trump stated during a press conference on January 3rd, that “we [the United States of America] will run the country until such a time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” As time continues to pass, Trump has continued to paint the picture that once stability is reached, they will hand over control to local authorities.
Ongoing Tariff War with People’s Republic of China
The ongoing issue of Chinese tariffs is an affair dating back to 2018 during Trump’s first presidency, when the escalation caused both countries to impose tariffs worth billions of dollars. Those tariffs would remain during former president Joe Biden’s term.
Most recently, on Feb. 1, 2025, Trump signed an executive order for a new ten percent tariff on Mexico, Canada and China. China fired back on February ten, with retaliatory tariffs on United States’ goods such as oil, coal and agricultural products.
From there, the two countries went back and forth, battling familiar tensions. When the U.S. imposed a tariff, China would respond within the next ten days imposing yet another retaliatory tariff. By April 2025, U.S. tariffs had reached 145% on Chinese imports, and 125% on U.S. imports from China. In May, they reached a 90-day truce; the U.S. reduced tariffs to 30% and China reduced theirs to 10%.
In November 2025, after a second 90-day extension of the original May agreement, they established a year-long resolution with several updates. Some applauded Trump, such as Republican Roger Marshall, a senator from Kansas, who stated that this was “huge news for Kansas farmers” even stating that it “absolutely justified the use of tariff threats as a negotiating tool.”
However, not everyone concurred with this statement. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts was concerned, expressing how Trump was “stumbling into a trade war that isn’t designed to protect American jobs.” This debate continues to rage on through the parties as Trump places tariffs on a multitude of countries ranging from Canada and Mexico to Japan and South Korea. For now, however, it seems his tariff war with China has come to an end.
The Gold Card
On Sept. 19, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order for the implementation of the “gold card,” which would allow wealthy immigrants to expedite the process of obtaining U.S. residency through financial gifts and contributions. In order to obtain a “gold card,” a processing fee of $15,000, a background approval from homeland security and a one million dollar contribution are required from the immigrants.
A second option is a corporate gold card, which allows a company to sponsor an employee for a $15,000 processing fee and a two million dollar contribution per employee along with additional fees. A platinum card is also coming soon, which will require a $15,000 dollars fee, a background check and a five million dollar contribution. This allows the immigrant to spend 270 days in the U.S. without being subject to taxes on a non-U.S. income. Meaning, they wouldn’t have to report their incomes to the IRS for that time period. These contributions or gifts are being used by the Department of Commerce to promote production. While President Trump has positively commented that the “people that can pay five million [are] going to create jobs,” and other supporters state that it places less of a burden like others are skeptical that it places value on wealth above all else.
Senator Chuck Schumer from New York has commented that Trump’s overall agenda has been a “golden age” for the elite and wealthy, not for the working American. While in contrast Senator John Cornyn, a republican from Texas stated that this is the “ultimate merit-based immigration” showcasing his support. Regardless, as applications opened on Dec. 10, 2025, people began applying for gold cards. There is now an official waitlist.
National Emergency at the US-Mexico Border
As Trump stepped into office on Jan. 20, 2025, he exercised his executive power to declare a national emergency at the southern border. By doing so, he instated asylum restrictions, suspending those seeking shelter in the United States until the emergency was declared over, immediately restarted construction on the border wall and authorized military deployment to the southern border.
The national emergency is still in effect today as the expanded enforcement continues to handle situations such as drug cartels, labelling them as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). President Trump has declared the extreme reduction of illegal migration as a “historic victory.” However, one such side effect is the amount of money spent. The border construction has cost $46.6 billion alone, pulled from both military and emergency funds. Texas State Representative Mary Gonzalez stated that the border takes up “all the oxygen and a lot of resources in the room.”
In contrast, the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has emphasized how the recent changes with the border are “making America safe again.” The question being debated between these opposing parties is whether the results are worth the cost.
