"Neocon smear": MAGA rejects pure isolationism after Maduro capture

• The reaction to Trump's attack on Venezuela suggests that many of his supporters are open to limited, decisive action — especially in the Western Hemisphere.
• The more fraught question for MAGA is how Trump's vision for an open-ended U.S. role in "running" Venezuela fits within the bounds of "America First."

Driving the news: "MAGA loves it. MAGA loves what I'm doing. MAGA loves everything I do," Trump told NBC News in an interview in which he denied that the U.S. is "at war" with Venezuela.

• "MAGA is me. MAGA loves everything I do, and I love everything I do, too."

What they're saying: Conversations with MAGA operatives and media figures reveal varying degrees of comfort with regime change, a concept that became politically toxic after the Iraq War.

Some were bullish on Venezuela, praising the operation as a blow to Chinese, Russian, Iranian and Cuban influence in the region — and a clear display of U.S. military dominance.

• Trump "is protecting the American interest in the Western Hemisphere," said Breitbart News' Matt Boyle. "He did so with a quick and decisive military and law enforcement action — not a long, drawn-out war...This is 'America First' in action."
• Raheem Kassam of The National Pulse framed the attack as "rugged realism," telling Axios: "If there are to be puppets, they will be American puppets, not Chinese puppets."

Between the lines: Venezuela's proximity to the U.S. — and its domestic nexus with the migrant crisis and drug trafficking — also has made the intervention more palatable to "America First" supporters.

• "'America First' never meant isolationist. That's a neocon smear," MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec told Axios.
• "One of the biggest splits that you will see is geography. There are a lot more 'America First' guys who are willing to be more aggressive within our hemisphere than across the world," he added.

The other side: Several MAGA-aligned figures have been far more skeptical, warning of another foreign escapade distracting from domestic concerns at a critical moment for the Republican Party.

• Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a onetime Trump loyalist whose last day in Congress was Monday, expressed disgust with "Washington's military machine," tweeting: "This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong."
• "I think die-hard MAGA will believe it's about narcoterrorism, but all the fentanyl is coming from Mexico, so why aren't we doing anything about the literal failed narco-state on our border?" one MAGAworld operative texted Axios.

The big picture: Trump has reveled in the operation's success, arguing that Maduro's capture — and the potential windfall from U.S. control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves — aligns with "America First."

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will have a major role overseeing Venezuela for the foreseeable future, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "the first steps are securing what's in the national interest of the United States."
• "No more drug trafficking. No more Iran, Hezbollah presence there. No more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries around the world," he continued.

What to watch: Even among supporters of Maduro's capture, there are limits to how far Trump should go — especially as he moves on to threatening other Latin American leaders.

• "I think right now, the vibe is very good — and the vibe is very good because it was easy. There were no losses, they got their guy, they got out," said Blake Neff, a co-host on "The Charlie Kirk Show."
• "Is Cuba next? Is Mexico next? Is Colombia next? Should we just forcefully seize Greenland? I would say, make sure Venezuela is actually a success before you start looking for new things to do," Neff cautioned.