Rand Paul: Trump movement ‘will dissolve’ if Venezuela invaded, Ukraine gets more money

 Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said President Trump’s movement “will dissolve” if he undertakes foreign policy measures to invade Venezuela or bolster the United States’s support for Ukraine.

“I actually think Trump is the one who is least likely to want to do these things, but he is surrounded by people who believe in regime change and are goading him on,” Paul said Thursday during an appearance on “The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie.” 

“I do think, though, that if he invades Venezuela or if he approves significant arms sales, which are really gifts to Ukraine or more welfare to Ukraine, if he does either of those, the rift with [Rep.] Marjorie [Taylor] Greene [R-Ga.] will pale in comparison to what happens to his movement. If he invades Venezuela or gives more money to Ukraine, his movement will dissolve,” he added.

Paul’s comments come as a recent poll shows most Americans are against military action in Venezuela. The Trump administration has upped its strikes on boats in the region, alleging drug cartels are using vessels to transport narcotics. 

Defense officials have positioned the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Caribbean to support operations and make the U.S. presence known in South America.

The Trump administration also moved to label Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization allowing the Department of Defense “new options” to target the alleged criminal network.

Paul has argued Trump isn’t fond of increasing operations overseas but is being influenced by lawmakers in Congress.

“On the Republican side, a good, solid majority still are of the neoconservative variety and do believe in intervention, but they’ve masked that and they’ve been clever. So, [Sen.] Lindsey Graham [R-S.C.] has not changed his positions, but he’s clever and he’s become very close to the president, influences the president,” Paul said.

“Same with Marco Rubio,” he said, referring the secretary of State, a former Florida senator. “So the pending invasion or regime change war in Venezuela is hatched by those people.”