Deadline: White House – “The first known land attack”

Host: Nicolle Wallace (MSNBC NOW)
Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on breaking news: the United States has launched the first known land attack inside Venezuela, marking a significant and controversial escalation in the Trump administration's military actions against the Maduro government. Nicolle Wallace and her panel explore the far-reaching implications, legality, political calculus, historical parallels, and potential consequences—both for the region and the United States. The conversation features in-depth perspectives from journalists, former administration officials, and a Senate candidate, as they debate America's role and rationale in foreign military interventions under President Trump.

Main Discussion Points & Segment Highlights

1. Breaking News: First Known American Land Attack in Venezuela

Starts at 00:45

• Nicolle Wallace opens with “brand new reporting” confirming “the United States of America has carried out the first known land attack [in Venezuela],” first reported by CNN and confirmed by The New York Times.
  • The CIA conducted a drone strike on a Venezuelan port facility believed to be used by the Tren Aragua gang for narcotics storage and transport.
  • “No one was on the dock at the time and no one was killed. But the strike is the first known American operation inside Venezuela.” (00:48)
  • President Trump publicly boasted about the strike, a highly unusual move for a covert CIA operation.

Notable Quote:

“Yesterday there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. ... So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area. ... That is no longer around.”
— President Donald Trump (02:15)

• Immediate concerns arise regarding absence of Congressional notification, legal authorization, and the potential drift toward war—a right reserved for Congress.

2. Legal and Constitutional Concerns

Discussion starts around 04:29

Ben Rhodes (Former Deputy National Security Advisor):

• Argues the escalation has never seemed focused solely on drug trafficking, as Venezuela is not a major drug source for the U.S., nor a source of fentanyl.
• Raises that “there is absolutely no legal basis for this to be happening,” suggesting the CIA’s involvement is intentional to skirt military oversight.
• Notes that Trump has “brought the war on terror into this hemisphere," shifting the drug war into the U.S.'s own backyard through covert and open strikes. (07:42)

Notable Quote:

“This is a truly lawless situation that is on a pathway to escalation… all of this feels like we're just being pulled like quicksand into another regime change war, exactly the opposite of what Donald Trump promised."
— Ben Rhodes (05:37)

Senator Rand Paul (Clip, discussed 06:17):

• Bipartisan concern: Even within the GOP, there's opposition—Rand Paul criticizes regime-change policies and lack of Congressional involvement.

Notable Quote:

“If we're going to go and topple regime after regime in South America, there's no amount of money that can be printed to pay for that. ... I don't think that the lives should be without a vote by Congress and the people approving of this. That's what our Constitution intended.”
— Sen. Rand Paul (06:41)

3. Escalation, Military Posture, and Confounding Objectives

Nancy Youssef, staff writer at The Atlantic (10:21)

• Highlights the U.S. military buildup in the region:

  • “At least 11 U.S. ships, 15,000 troops,” including the USS Gerald Ford carrier group, are positioned nearby.
  • The force posture does not match any single openly stated objective (drug interdiction, oil seizure, or regime change), reflecting policy confusion.

• Suggests the administration may be "mission creeping" toward larger conflict—gradually increasing engagement without public, political, or legal clarity.

Notable Quote:

“So I think we have to watch whether these strikes are designed to work within the objections we've heard ... and that in doing so, we unintentionally sort of mission creep our way to a bigger conflict.”
— Nancy Youssef (11:49)

4. Military and International Risks

Lt. Col. Amy McGrath (Ret.), Senate candidate (13:13)

• Points out the dangerous escalation and lack of clear objectives for forces on the ground.
• Emphasizes the legal “purgatory” facing U.S. military personnel, and the risk of setting international precedents for preemptive or unilateral actions.

Notable Quote:

“We just attacked a sovereign country and it barely made the news. 100 people have already been executed. ... It puts the military in this sort of legal purgatory, striking without authorization."
— Amy McGrath (13:17)

5. Public Opinion, Policy Gaps, and Authoritarian Parallels

Recurring theme throughout, with a key moment at 07:42 and 15:45

• The panel draws parallels to leaders like Putin turning to military adventures amid domestic trouble—warning of the dangers in a democracy and citing the lack of public or political support for a war in Venezuela.
• Discusses Trump’s broader hints at military action in Panama, Colombia, Iran, Mexico, and even Greenland.

Notable Quote:

“He's just brought this massive infrastructure of the war on terror and turned it into, I guess he's calling it a war on drugs, but it's really just a war on whoever Donald Trump doesn't like in the Western hemisphere.”
— Ben Rhodes (07:53)

6. "Mission Creep" and the Lack of a Clear Endgame

Timestamps 11:49–18:55

• Consensus among panelists that no clear U.S. objective exists; the American public and Congress have been left in the dark.
• Fear that “occasional” strikes will become normalized, drawing the U.S. into a larger, unplanned conflict.
• Anxiety over what a post-Maduro Venezuela would look like (multiple factions, instability), and concerns about the precedent of summary executions abroad as a drug policy.

Notable Quote:

“…There is no precedent for addressing the flow of illegal drugs into this country with summary executions of alleged drug traffickers without any evidence being produced…”
— Nicolle Wallace (14:35)

7. Intelligence Failures and Trump's Unpredictability

Timestamps 21:02–28:25

• Trump’s public threats against not just Venezuela but Iran and Nigeria emphasize the unpredictability and lack of cohesive doctrine.
• Discussion of how Trump disregards or manipulates intelligence, seeking only information that suits his preconceptions—viewed as a hallmark of authoritarian governance.

Notable Quote:

“He is gutting the intelligence apparatus of the United States, because he only wants the intelligence apparatus to tell him exactly what he wants to hear, which is another characteristic of authoritarian politics.”
— Ben Rhodes (28:25)

8. Political Costs and the Potential for Congressional Pushback

Timestamps 23:52, 25:29, 30:26, 44:16

• Warnings that unilateral war-making without public support is historically a political disaster.
• Discussion of past parallels (Vietnam, Iraq) and missed opportunities for party checks on executive power.
• Growing bipartisan frustration; speculation that as Trump’s popularity wanes (“36% approval”), the political cost to Republicans may rise.

Notable Quotes:

“...A president, 36%, taking the country into wars for which there's no legal predicate or any rationale articulated to the American people is a political death spiral for your party.”
— Nicolle Wallace (25:29)

“This is lawless. It's unnecessary, and it risks getting us back into the quagmires that Americans elected Donald Trump in part to end, and it does nothing to solve the affordability crisis in this country.”
— Ben Rhodes (28:25)

Notable Extended Segment: Trump’s “America First” Promises vs Actions

• Amy McGrath (23:52) underscores the gap between Trump’s campaign promises and his current focus:
  • “Yeah, it's definitely not America first at all. ... the president is off ... starting wars that Americans don't want to be involved [in]. ... I know no person in Kentucky who voted for Trump who said, you know, I really want to go to war against Venezuela.”
• Panelists agree: Trump’s foreign policy is incoherent, increasingly autocratic, and divorced from the issues ordinary voters care about (i.e., affordability crisis).

Notable Parallel Storyline: Kennedy Center & Public Service

Starts at 32:21

• News of Tatiana Schlossberg’s passing—granddaughter of JFK and respected climate change journalist—leads to a conversation about public service, civic ideals, and modern political resistance.
• Massive backlash continues as Trump installs loyalists and renames the Kennedy Center after himself. Notable protests arise from the arts community, who cancel performances at financial loss (“morally exhilarating”).

Memorable Quotes:

“It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating. ... this kind of protest is the kind of thing that will save us.”
— Rick Stengel (42:23)

“Sometimes the easiest way to deal with an autocrat is to make fun of him.”
— Ben Rhodes (38:41)

Summary Table: Segment Timestamps & Focus

| Time | Segment Focus | Key Participants | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------| | 00:45–04:29| Breaking Venezuela land attack; Trump publicizes CIA op | Wallace, Panel | | 04:29–09:48| Legal, policy questions; opposition within GOP | Ben Rhodes, Rand Paul | | 09:48–11:49| Region snapshot; military posture; objectives | Nancy Youssef | | 11:49–14:35| “Mission creep,” risk of normalization; military dilemmas | Youssef, McGrath | | 14:35–18:55| Normalizing executions; Susie Wiles’ comments | Wallace, Stengel, Youssef | | 18:55–23:52| Broader dangers; parallels to autocracy, historical errors | Panel | | 23:52–28:25| Trump’s unpredictability, intelligence issues | McGrath, Stengel, Wallace | | 28:25–44:16| Public service, Kennedy Center, protest | Wallace, Rhodes, Stengel |

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “We cannot start 2026 leepwalking into another illegal war… This is a regime change operation in Venezuela that Congress never authorized.” — Sen. Ruben Gallego (03:19)
• “You can't determine what the military objectives are based on their configuration.” — Nancy Youssef (10:34)
• On the administration seeking only confirmatory intelligence: “He only wants the intelligence apparatus United States to tell him exactly what he wants to hear, which is another characteristic of authoritarian politics.” — Ben Rhodes (28:25)
• “The arts community in this country does not care much for Donald Trump; … because of that, in a fit of pique, he has to put his name on this building [Kennedy Center].” — Ben Rhodes (38:41)
• On artists leading resistance: “They went down to Washington and capitulated to Donald Trump… it’s coming from artists who can barely afford to turn down a $40,000 gig.” — Nicolle Wallace (42:29)
• “Artists set that tone. Our artists stand for sets of values.” — Ben Rhodes (42:53)

Tone and Language

Throughout, the dialogue is urgent, direct, often incredulous or frustrated, and deeply wary. Panelists call out what they see as lawless unilateral action, dangerous escalation, disregard for democratic accountability, and the hollowness of the administration’s public justifications. They repeatedly contrast the administration’s actions with the wishes, interests, or values of ordinary Americans, pointing especially to the disconnect between Trump’s campaign promises and his current policies.

Conclusion

This episode delivers a comprehensive, unflinching critique of the first known U.S. land attack in Venezuela and its broader consequences. It draws sharp contrasts between public promises and secret actions, highlights systemic governance dangers, and centers the importance of legal and moral checks. The segment on the Kennedy Center and Tatiana Schlossberg’s passing reinforces a parallel theme: the enduring value of civic service, public protest, and the arts as a form of resistance and national identity.

For listeners and non-listeners alike, this summary provides a rich, timestamped guide to the episode’s key revelations, analysis, and the full sweep of its informed, urgent commentary.