First setback for the boss ?

In a highly charged political climate in Washington, the US Senate dealt a resounding blow to President Donald Trump yesterday, Thursday, January 8, 2026, by passing a procedural motion by a vote of 52 to 47 aimed at limiting his unilateral military prerogatives in Venezuela.

This decisive vote was made possible by the defection of five Republican senators, including Rand Paul, who chose to join the Democratic camp to demand that any new hostilities against Caracas henceforth be subject to prior authorization from Congress, in accordance with the Constitution.

This parliamentary rebellion comes in an explosive geopolitical context, just days after the spectacular raid by US special forces in Caracas that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, both transferred to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking.

Furious at this challenge to his authority, the White House occupant reacted vehemently on his Truth Social network, lambasting the « stupidity » of the five elected officials from his own party, calling them threats to national security and asserting that they should « never be elected again » for supporting a bill he considers unconstitutional.

While the resolution still needs a formal vote in the Senate next week before moving to a House of Representatives whose outcome is less certain, it underscores the growing concern within the legislative branch regarding Donald Trump’s stated ambitions to « rule » Venezuela and seize total control of its oil resources.

While Democratic Senator Tim Kaine denounces a escalation of warfare at the expense of everyday American concerns such as the cost of living, Rand Paul reaffirms that the sovereign power to initiate war rests firmly on the shoulders of members of Congress, not solely on those of the executive branch.

Despite the symbolic significance of a text that will likely face an almost insurmountable presidential veto, this act of resistance marks a historic crack in Republican unity at a time when the administration is not ruling out sending new ground troops to stabilize the region under American control.