Is Kidnapping Part of an America First Agenda?

[DISCLAIMER]

Photo credit, fair use

On January 3, 2026, United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump posted a photo of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in custody of the U.S. Regarding this matter, one source reports:

The Trump administration’s capture of Venezuela’s president and claims that it will “run” the country are raising stark new questions about the legality of the U.S. actions and its future operations in the South American nation.

The middle-of-the-night seizure of Nicolás Maduro, who was transported with his wife on a U.S. warship to face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges in New York, is beyond even the most high-profile historical examples of aggressive American actions toward autocratic governments in Panama, Iraq and beyond, legal experts said. It came after a surprise U.S. incursion that rocked the Venezuelan capital with overnight explosions.

Actions of the U.S. weren’t difficult to forecast. For months, I’ve written about what actions the Trump administration may take. After all, as a matter of comprehending the world around me, I seek to use thinking which is rational (in accordance with both logic and reason).

Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification. Take for instance what I stated in Killing Americans for Years and Getting Rich off of It (10/26/2025):

In a recent post entitled False Trilemma: On Sheepdogs [10/23/2025], I critiqued the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela as likely indicative of regime change.

For context, one source states, “This is about regime change. They’re [U.S.] probably not going to invade, the hope is this is about signaling.” Per another source, “Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused President Donald Trump of pushing for war against his country.”

As mentioned, I remain politically neutral. Nonetheless, I can examine whether or not political actions taken by the U.S. against other sovereign nations are rational.

I maintain that the Trump administration’s actions regarding Maduro aren’t rational. I’ll provide evidence for my stance herein. Moreover, Trump-backed aggression against the Venezuelan president may even constitute kidnapping. For context, one source states:

Kidnapping is a crime at common law consisting of an unlawful restraint of a person’s liberty by force or show of force. Under modern law, this crime usually only requires that the victim be taken to another location or concealed, but historical definitions required bringing the victim to another state or country.

As I’m not a legal scholar and I remain ignorant about federal and international law regarding Maduro’s capture, I’ll focus the current post on how I approach matters when practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Thus, I’ll examine the possible rationale underlying actions.

Before proceeding further, allow me address two matters. First, I’ll issue a self-obligatory disavowal. I don’t support what I view as ostensible kidnapping of a foreign leader, nor do I believe the U.S. has any legitimate claim to governing Venezuela or executing regime change.

Second, I find it interesting that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has yet to speak out against Maduro’s capture. In November 2025, she stated, “For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building.”

Apparently, Gabbard’s denunciation only months ago hasn’t survived scrutiny, given current events. Was Gabbard genuinely ever going to stand on principle and oppose Trump’s actions? Her spooky business and my disavowal aside, I stated in The Goomba Fallacy (6/13/2025):

I maintain that “America” constitutes North, Central, and South America [“the Americas”]. Therefore, it’s absurd to me that so many people refer only to the U.S. by this word. Minor quibble aside and deliberately misusing this term moving forward, one source states of MAGA:

“Make America Great Again” [MAGA] is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. “MAGA” is also used to refer to Trump’s ideology, political base, or to an individual or group of individuals from within that base.

While a MAGA agenda can refer to the economy, our foreign policy, the healthcare industry, and other elements of U.S. failure, maintenance, or success, the inference of this slogan is fairly forthright. […]

Similar to MAGA ideology, an America First platform centers Americans above all other nations. However, this doesn’t mean that other countries (e.g., Israel) are completely neglected. Rather, America is tended to first.

MAGA is Trump’s brand. As well, Trump has stated, “Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First,’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that.”

Yet, one source says of the America First matter, “The term was promoted by President Woodrow Wilson in his 1916 presidential campaign that pledged to keep America neutral in World War I.” Trump didn’t pioneer this phrase. Also, “America First” means the U.S. first.

Nevertheless, I’ll grant that the U.S. president likely believes his political ideology to represent both MAGA and America First. For rationale examination #1 regarding Maduro’s capture, I invite you to consider the following syllogism:

Form (destructive dilemma) –

If p, then q; and if r, then s; but either not q or not s; therefore, either not p or not r.

Example –

If Trump supports MAGA and America First, then Trump supports actions which specifically favor the U.S.

And if Trump views the entirety of the Americas as his responsibility, then Trump will fulfill his role as ruler of the American continent.

But either Trump doesn’t support actions which specifically favor the U.S. or Trump won’t fulfill his role as ruler of the American continent.

Therefore, either Trump doesn’t support MAGA and American First or Trump doesn’t view the entirety of the Americas as his responsibility.

This syllogism follows logical form while creating a logical dilemma—an argument in which a difficult choice empirically must be made between two or more alternatives, each of which presents undesirable outcomes. This is because the conclusion is based on logical inconsistency.

Trump isn’t the ruler of the American continent. He was elected as present of the U.S. Further, actions taken toward Venezuela and Maduro don’t represent policies in alignment with MAGA or American First, unless kidnapping is somehow part of an America First agenda. Is it!?

This brings me to rationale examination #2 regarding Maduro’s capture. For this assessment, I invite you to consider the following syllogism:

Form (hypothetical) –

If p, then q; if q, then r; therefore, if p, then r.

Example –

If it’s now acceptable to kidnap or capture foreign leaders, then other nations are allowed to kidnap or capture Trump.

If other nations are allowed to kidnap or capture Trump, then the U.S. has no moral or ethical counterpoint to China or Russia bombing our country and then taking President Trump tonight.

Therefore, if it’s now acceptable to kidnap or capture foreign leaders, then the U.S. has no moral or ethical counterpoint to China or Russia bombing our country and then taking President Trump tonight.

I argue that what the Trump administration did to Venezuela, Maduro, and Cilia Flores (Maduro’s wife) has now opened the proverbial floodgates to countermeasures against the U.S., President Trump, and Melania Trump. I don’t want this to happen. I don’t condone kidnapping.

This brings me to rationale examination #3 regarding Maduro’s capture, my final point of contention. For this valuation, I invite you to consider the following syllogism:

Form (modus ponens) –

If p, then q; p; therefore, q.

Example –

If you condone what the Trump administration has done to Maduro, then you will make allowances for anyone who kidnaps a member of your family.

You condone what the Trump administration has done to Maduro.

Therefore, you will make allowances for anyone who kidnaps a member of your family.

Would you be okay with a member of your family being taken from you overnight? If not, then it’s irrational to support what the Trump administration has done regarding Venezuela, Maduro, and Flores. Furthermore, none of these actions support MAGA and America First policy.

That is unless you advocate kidnapping, regime change, the apparent theft of natural resources, and depriving a sovereign nation its right to self-governance. Personally, this isn’t the way forward. Given the events discussed herein, the U.S. has no moral ground upon which to stand.

Is kidnapping part of an America First agenda, as far as you believe? If so, then I invite you to take a closer look at whether or not other beliefs you hold are equally as irrational as this. As evidenced in the current blogpost, the Trump administration’s actions aren’t rational.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

Gambrell, J. (2025, November 1). US National Intelligence Director says former American strategy of ‘regime change’ is over. Military.com. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/11/01/us-national-intelligence-director-says-former-american-strategy-of-regime-change-over.html

Hall, R. (2025, October 25). Venezuela accuses Trump of ‘fabricating’ a war as U.S. deploys aircraft carrier. TIME. Retrieved from https://time.com/7328458/venezuela-trump-uss-gerald-ford/

Hollings, D. (2025, March 16). Destructive dilemma. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/destructive-dilemma

Hollings, D. (2025, May 4). Dilemmas and paradoxes. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/dilemmas-and-paradoxes

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2024, July 10). Empirical should beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/empirical-should-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2025, December 13). Explanation and justification. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/explanation-and-justification

Hollings, D. (2025, March 9). Factual and counterfactual beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/factual-and-counterfactual-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use

Hollings, D. (2025, October 23). False trilemma: On sheepdogs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/false-trilemma-on-sheepdogs

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2025, March 16). Hypothetical syllogism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/hypothetical-syllogism

Hollings, D. (2025, April 17). Ideologically inconsistent. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/ideologically-inconsistent

Hollings, D. (2025, January 26). Ignorance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/ignorance

Hollings, D. (2025, October 26). Killing Americans for years and getting rich off of it. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/killing-americans-for-years-and-getting-rich-off-of-it

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2023, January 8). Logic and reason. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logic-and-reason

Hollings, D. (2025, March 16). Modus ponens. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/modus-ponens

Hollings, D. (2023, October 2). Morals and ethics. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/morals-and-ethics

Hollings, D. (2025, April 9). Perception, action, and will. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/perception-action-and-will

Hollings, D. (2025, May 3). Predictability of logic. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/predictability-of-logic

Hollings, D. (2024, May 26). Principles. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/principles

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2025, August 13). Rational versus irrational thoughts and beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-versus-irrational-thoughts-and-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2025, October 8). Rationale. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rationale

Hollings, D. (2025, December 24). Some people advocate walking. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/some-people-advocate-walking

Hollings, D. (2025, January 5). Spooky business. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/spooky-business

Hollings, D. (2024, May 19). Sufferance in the face of sloganeering. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/sufferance-in-the-face-of-sloganeering

Hollings, D. (2023, October 17). Syllogism. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/syllogism

Hollings, D. (2025, June 13). The Goomba fallacy. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-goomba-fallacy

Hollings, D. (2025, January 16). The words we use matter. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-words-we-use-matter

Hollings, D. (2024, February 6). This ride inevitably ends. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/this-ride-inevitably-ends

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Kidnapping. Cornell Law School. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/kidnapping

Mascaro, L., Goodman, J., and Finley, B. (2026, January 3). Capture of Maduro and US claim that it will run Venezuela raise new legal questions. Associated Press. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/legal-questions-maduro-trump-venezuela-capture-congress-7c686106ae7ffc759e5a1726e1b85576

Scherer, M. (2025, June 14). Trump says he decides what ‘America First’ means. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/06/trump-interview-iran-israel/683192/

Wells, I. and Cheetham, J. (2025, October 24). Warships, fighter jets and the CIA - what is Trump’s endgame in Venezuela? BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gp2lxz75eo

White House, The [@realDonaldTrump]. (2026, January 3). Nicholas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima [Post]. X. Retrieved from https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2007489108059533390

Wikipedia. (n.d.). America First. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Cilia Flores. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilia_Flores

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Donald Trump. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Make America Great Again. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_America_Great_Again

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Melania Trump. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_Trump

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Nicolás Maduro. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicol%C3%A1s_Maduro

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Regime change. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regime_change

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Tulsi Gabbard. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Woodrow Wilson. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson