Majoring in Minors
Senator Elizabeth Warren’s response to a journalist asking what questions she would pose to the administration regarding Venezuela’s future frustrated me.
Warren’s framing of Trump’s kidnapping of Nicholas Maduro as a violation of his campaign promise to lower prices serves as an egregious example of “majoring in minors”. She didn’t use the word “illegal” even once to describe what Trump did, despite the clear violation of international law. She didn’t talk about the administration’s failure to get permission from Congress before this action. She effectively treated this illegal action as normal. She and her team chose to put this clip out on social media so they must think it’s good messaging!
If a journalist asks about Venezuela, lead with the illegality of what Trump did. Talk about the potential consequences for everyone who followed those illegal orders. Talk about the murderous boat strikes—also illegal. Talk about the mass deportations of Venezuelans to a country our State Department has announced is no longer safe for Americans there.
Better yet, talk about ICE invading American cities and kidnapping people just like Special Forces did in Venezuela. Talk about ICE murdering innocent people, just like Trump’s operation in Venezuela did. Compare Trump’s actions in Venezuela and his threatened action in Greenland to Putin invading Ukraine. And above all, remind people all the Epstein files still aren’t released—yet another illegal action by the Trump administration.