In 2019, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard urged the United States to “stay out of Venezuela,” remarks that have since resurfaced in the wake of the Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on the South American nation and subsequent capturing of its president.
“The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela,” Gabbard wrote in a 2019 social media post on X. “Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders – so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”
Gabbard’s fears not only came to fruition on Saturday, but went further than her initial concerns, with President Donald Trump announcing that the United States would be “running” Venezuela until a transition of power can be facilitated. And the irony of a top Trump official condemning what the Trump administration had just carried out was not lost on critics.
“Hi Tulsi, any updates here?” wrote X user “Right Wing Cope,” a prominent political commentator with more than 451,000 followers.
“Didn't age well,” wrote another, David Attias, another political commentator who’s amassed more than 7,500 followers on X.
Gabbard has historically been opposed to foreign interventionism, and reportedly frustrated Trump after appearing to oppose his then-impending strike on Iran to destroy its nuclear capabilities last summer.
Her remarks against enacting regime change in Venezuela were similarly at odds with Trump’s actions, and critics across the political spectrum couldn’t help but point out the irony.
“I agree with Trump's Director of National Intelligence,” wrote former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan Saturday in a social media post on X.
“Hey Tulsi, you up?” wrote writer Alheli Picazo in a social media post on X.I agree with Trump's Director of National Intelligence. https://t.co/YG5XeXZ4Fb
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 3, 2026