Republican Senator stabs Donald Trump in the back in an interview with Joe Rogan
Usually the attacks come from the Left. But now it’s from the GOP.
Because a Republican Senator stabbed Donald Trump in the back in an interview with Joe Rogan.
Paul Questions Strikes and Due Process on Joe Rogan Podcast
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) sharply criticized the Trump administration’s military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels off Venezuela’s coast during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
The strikes, which began in September 2025 and have continued into 2026, have targeted boats accused of carrying drugs, resulting in at least 115 deaths across more than 35 incidents according to Pentagon reports. Paul argued that the operations deviate from traditional U.S. maritime interdiction practices, which typically involve stopping vessels, requesting searches, and escalating force only if met with resistance.
Paul stated: “We’ve been blowing up these people in boats off the coast of Venezuela. They’re accused of running drugs, but nobody knows their names and nobody’s put up any evidence.”
He added: “And so what I think is bizarre is I hear mostly my Republican colleagues say, ‘Well, we shouldn’t have to — how do we know they’re not armed?’ And it’s like, but there’s this thing called presumption of innocence… It actually always has applied on the oceans. We have always had drug interdictions, but we have always stopped boats and asked to search them. If they flee or shoot at the Coast Guard, they will get shot and blown up. But it’s usually an escalatory sort of steps.”
He continued: “So I look at my colleagues who say they’re pro-life and they value God’s inspiration in life, but they don’t give a s— about these people in the boats… And are they terrible people in the boats? I don’t know. They’re probably poor people in Venezuela and Colombia.”
Paul also questioned the stated rationale, noting the small outboard boats’ limited range—roughly 100 miles per fuel load—makes reaching the U.S. (over 2,000 miles away) implausible without extensive refueling. He suggested the cocaine is primarily headed to Europe or nearby markets, not the United States, and described the strikes as potentially serving as “a pretense” for actions like the January 3, special forces raid that arrested Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on U.S. drug and weapons charges.
Administration Context and Republican Tensions
The strikes, ordered under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, are framed by the administration as necessary to disrupt narco-trafficking networks tied to Venezuelan gangs threatening U.S. security.
No direct responses from Trump or administration officials to Paul’s latest comments are detailed in the coverage, though Trump previously criticized Paul during a January 13, 2026, speech to the Detroit Economic Club, saying: “I got him elected twice… He was a stone-cold loser. I went to Kentucky, where I won by a lot. I did a rally for him, then I did another rally, he won. Then I went the second time, he won. Then he votes against [me] all the time. It’s just crazy. I don’t get it.”
Paul was among five Republican senators supporting a war powers resolution to require congressional approval for further actions against Venezuela, which failed along largely party lines.
Broader Debate on Policy and Oversight
Democrats have raised concerns that the strikes violate laws of war and lack proper congressional authorization.
The episode highlights divisions within the Republican Party over foreign military engagements, due process in counter-narcotics operations, and consistency in addressing drug-related threats—such as the earlier U.S. prosecution and sentencing of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández to 40 years for drug crimes, followed by his release.
Paul’s remarks underscore ongoing questions about evidence standards, the human cost of such operations, and whether these actions align with longstanding U.S. practices in international waters.
