Rep. Jim Jordan on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s posture toward Venezuela and the arrest of its President Nicolas Maduro, saying the president’s willingness to use U.S. power in the region is consistent with “America First” and aimed at protecting Americans from drugs and hostile foreign influence.
The Ohio Republican added, in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," that he trusts Trump to make decisions “in the best interest of Americans” and credited him with delivering results.
Jordan described Maduro as the "head of a narcoterrorist criminal operation" who is "cozying up to Iran and China," adding that bringing such figures to justice is aligned with American interests.
Show host Dana Bash also challenged Jordan on Trump’s remarks about U.S. involvement in rebuilding Venezuela, including oil infrastructure, arguing it could conflict with promises to focus spending at home.
Jordan said Trump’s comments reflected a push for accountability over assets taken from American companies.
"When that country took assets that belonged to American companies, that’s wrong," Jordan said.
"They took property from American companies," he added. "That makes sense that there’s going to be some kind of compensation, some kind of reckoning for that.”
The Ohio Republican also backed the administration’s approach to Maduro’s prosecution in the U.S. court system.
Asked whether Maduro should receive the same rights as American citizens, Jordan said he was comfortable with the case proceeding through the American judicial process and called it the best system in the world.
"Our system is the best in history, the best on the planet," he said.
Bash pressed Jordan on consistency in the administration’s drug messaging, citing Trump’s pardon of the former president of Honduras after a U.S. conviction tied to drug trafficking.
Jordan defended Trump’s authority to issue pardons, saying the power is exclusive to the president and can be used "how they darn well want," while noting Trump said he believed the prior administration treated the individual unfairly.
Jordan also drew a contrast with former President Joe Biden, criticizing Biden’s handling of a Chinese spy balloon incident and saying Trump demonstrates strength and decisive action.
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