Patriot Brief
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What Happened: Sen. John Fetterman said on NewsNation that blocking and seizing sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers “makes a lot of sense.”
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Why It Matters: Fetterman acknowledged the oil trade helps fund Iran, Russia, China, and terrorism, echoing Trump’s national security argument.
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Bottom Line: A prominent Democrat just validated Trump’s strategy to cut off terror money without launching a ground war.
Sen. John Fetterman surprised just about everyone Tuesday night by sounding a lot more like the Trump White House than the progressive wing of his own party.
Appearing on NewsNation’s Cuomo, the Pennsylvania Democrat backed President Donald Trump’s decision to block and seize sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of Venezuela, calling the move logical and overdue.
Host Chris Cuomo pressed Fetterman on Trump’s latest escalation, noting that the president framed Venezuela’s oil trade as part of a broader terror-financing network tied to hostile regimes.
Fetterman did not push back.
“Iran is involved on that and Russia’s involved on that and China as well, too,” Fetterman said. “That’s sanctioned oil right now.”
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. John Fetterman BREAKS ranks with Dems again, FULLY backs President Trump’s TOTAL BLOCKADE on Venezuelan oil tankers!
Fetterman: Tough action needed to crush Maduro’s narco-regime and reclaim stolen assets. pic.twitter.com/LMFe3lQEQs
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) December 17, 2025
He went on to argue that the oil trade is not just about economics, but about funding bad actors across the globe.
“That’s oil that’s going to support Iran, and those are the kinds of funds that are used [for] all kinds of illicit things with terrorism,” he said.
Fetterman also emphasized that Trump’s approach stops well short of a ground invasion, countering claims from critics who have warned about another endless foreign war.
“It’s not a plan to, like, a land war and invade Venezuela,” Fetterman said, adding that seizing tankers is a targeted way to choke off terror funding without boots on the ground.
For an administration that has argued Venezuela’s regime uses oil money to fuel drug trafficking, human trafficking, and terror-linked activity, Fetterman’s comments amount to rare bipartisan validation.
In a political climate where many Democrats reflexively oppose anything tied to Trump, Fetterman’s blunt assessment stood out. Whether his party likes it or not, a top Democrat just acknowledged what Trump has been saying all along: cutting off terror money at the source “makes a lot of sense.”