Welcome back to Minuteman’s Update! Today, we’re looking at the Democratic Party’s recent wins and the Venezuelan boat strikes.
In recent elections, the Democrats achieved massive wins, with Zohran Mamdani sweeping the New York City mayoral election, Abigail Spanberger being elected the first female governor of Virginia, and California voting for Proposition 50 (a Democratic proposal to allow for the redistricting of much of California), among other notable victories across the country. If one message should be taken from these successes, it’s that the Democratic Party can run a harder-left campaign and win. But how is it that after one of the most decidedly Republican elections of the last decade, Democrats have managed such widespread success? In my opinion, it is the outspoken passion of recent candidates.
Historically, Democrats have supported positions that frame them as the “good guys” in Washington, and this has kept them politically stagnant for many years. Looking back, the policies of the Democratic Party have remained largely consistent for over 50 years, with platforms like gun control, healthcare, and a mixed economy serving as their main focuses since the 70s. Even if this has benefited the party at all, it has also made them bloated and overconfident in their own ability to win with little effort and even less change. However, Mamdani, Spanberger, and Newsom have demonstrated something entirely different. A sharp departure from older, established Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, current candidates are calling for change, both in the White House and across America. Most importantly, all three are outspoken critics of President Trump.
Running on platforms like free public transport, better healthcare and drug support, protection of reproductive rights, and climate change, the three candidates are creating a new future for the values of the Democratic Party. Newsom and Mamdani have been especially critical of President Trump in the media while the President has not held back on his criticism of them either. Looking toward the 2028 election, it appears that both Democratic and Republican voters will be heading into a period of radical change.
As for the Trump administration, increasing pressure around the Venezuelan boat strikes has brought Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth under fire. Since September 2, 2025, the United States government has carried out 22 boat strikes on drug-smuggling vessels off the coast of Venezuela and other Latin American nations. President Trump and Department of Defense officials have labeled it a war and legalized the strikes by claiming the drug smugglers as combatants. The true nature of the conflict remains largely disputed, as the smuggling boats pose little threat to the United States beyond bringing drugs through the Caribbean. Many countries condemned these deaths as a direct violation of international law.
However, what has grabbed the attention of America the most is the involvement of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in these strikes. As more lawmakers and officials call out the lack of congressional approval and the legality of the strikes, Secretary Hegseth grows increasingly guarded. He refuses not only to release the second video from the strikes, but also refuses to produce a clear response as to whether President Trump will carry out any more. Secretary Hegseth’s lack of clarity only implicates him and his administration more, making it increasingly clear that much of the strike’s true nature has been hidden from Americans. President Trump is claiming that he would have “no problem” releasing the full videos, whilst also claiming that he “has no idea” what videos his Defense Department has. While I hope the administration will decide to release the videos, Secretary Hegseth and President Trump’s behavior offer little material for prediction.
Thank you so much for reading. I’ll be back next month!
