Jon Stewart regarding the President's Caracas Operation: 'It's Just Exhausting'

Late-night television hosts sharply criticized the unexpected armed incursion targeting Caracas, the seizure of the Venezuelan leader, and nebulous plans to "run" the South American nation.

The Former Daily Show Host

In his return to the show in 2026, Stewart dove straight into the surprise move to remove Maduro from power in early January, an action criticized by numerous countries as a "crime of aggression."

"Clearly, this is an incredibly dangerous moment for the world," he said. "It's extraordinarily rare for any government to breach the borders of another independent country and execute a grab and go on their head of state."

"Look, no one knows how this mission is going to unfold," he continued. "However, judging by the United States’ history, my prediction is we’re going to be overjoyed about this for a couple of weeks. And then 30 years from now, there will be a socialist uprising in Venezuela, and the new government will point to this event as the reason our embassy there is in flames. And it will completely derail a Democratic presidency. Typically, that’s how this stuff works."

The host further pointed out the frank confession that the incursion was driven in part by access to petroleum resources, despite aides’ efforts to frame it as an counter-narcotics effort.

"Oil. Valuable resource, undoubtedly – but not the reason a nation, founded 250 years ago on the ideas of liberty and self-determination, would go into a country and snatch a man at night," he argued. "There must be a somewhat loftier justification. Have you never done this before? I mean, what the fuck?"

He quipped that the honesty ruined conspiracy theories: "'It's all about the oil' – Yeah, no, I said it was for the oil."

Stewart noted the concerning standard being set: "Whenever we want something and it’s within reach, we are going to seize it."

"The people I feel sorry for are the apologists, the defenders, the sycophants, who missed the message that we no longer have to frame our adventurism in the ideals of our great country," he finished. "The reality is, this is completely draining and reveals the Gulf of America – not the body of water. The real Gulf is the distance between the noble ideals that embody this country and the bullying tactics that this crew thinks makes us great again."

The ABC Late-Night Host

Kimmel came back with a quick summary of the action-packed holiday break. "You'd need a nine-part film to cover it all," he joked. "I'll try to summarize."

He reminded viewers that Trump recently hosted a major awards ceremony, which allegedly earned the lowest ratings in the ceremony's history. "I pity the White House intern who had to tear that headline out and eat ’em," he mused.

The comedian then pointed out the stark contrast between a promise of "peace on earth" and the launching of a foreign invasion just later. "To give you an idea of how bad these recent files are for Trump, apparently they’re 'invade Venezuela' bad," he stated.

Even worse, Kimmel ridiculed the claim about now managing Venezuela. "He’s going to run Venezuela? He can’t even run the country he runs!" he exclaimed. "That's akin to if a failing retailer decided to buy another bankrupt chain."

Stephen Colbert

During his monologue, Colbert addressed the unexpected operation. "What does this tell us? Those recently released files must be incredibly damaging," he said, sipping on stage.

"Let's be clear, Maduro is no saint," he stated. "So why suddenly decide to snatch their president in what seems like a violation of United States and international law? Well, reportedly, the last straw was Maduro’s regular public dancing."

"OK … that’s a new one," he reacted after viewing a clip. "Let this be a warning to every uncle at a wedding."

Colbert then poked fun at the big mystery of who would govern Venezuela, suggesting it might come down to media companies. "Naturally, Trump has his plan," which is to "manage the nation until such time as a orderly and legitimate transition."

"Wait, he'll run this country and Venezuela?" Colbert mocked. "Apparently, when he says 'America first' he means in the dictionary."

Seth Meyers

"You guys, Donald Trump set a record this weekend by becoming the first winner of a peace prize to bomb another country and capture a foreign president," joked Meyers. "It's the biggest surprise since a notorious character was voted least likely to do something heinous."

Meyers criticized the efforts to justify the attack as a crusade against drug trafficking, while the President immediately admitted the motivation was oil. "It's astonishing how Trump constantly undermines everyone around him and states the blunt reality," he observed.

He also played a compilation of clips showing past statements condemning "foreign entanglements."

"It's hard to comprehend anyone believed Trump was being sincere about being anti-war," Meyers stated. "You really thought Donald Trump, the most thin-skinned man on the planet, would suddenly discover the concept of restraint when he gained control of the world’s most powerful military? Giving Donald Trump control of the armed forces is like giving a volatile group an unlimited alcohol and a 'one free slap' coupon. There’s gonna be a lot of fighting, a lot of drama and a lot of terrible decisions."