President Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela is creating tensions within Republican ranks during a critical election year, testing his ability to maintain party unity while pursuing foreign policy goals that some view as contradicting his “America First” doctrine.

The operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and bring him to the United States to face criminal charges has received broad Republican support, but the president’s subsequent comments about the U.S. “running” Venezuela have sparked concern across different factions of the party.

“This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives,” said outgoing GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Greene, once a staunch Trump ally, represents a growing faction within the party questioning this apparent shift in foreign policy.

These concerns extend beyond the party’s far-right wing. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a moderate Republican facing a tough reelection battle in November, stated plainly that “the only country that the United States of America should be ‘running’ is the United States of America.”

Such pushback highlights the evolving relationship between Trump and congressional Republicans as the midterm elections approach. While Trump remains the GOP’s dominant figure, his once-ironclad control has faced unusual challenges in recent months. Various Republican factions have pressured him on issues ranging from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files to addressing economic concerns about affordability.

Foreign policy restraint, particularly avoiding prolonged international entanglements, has been central to Trump’s political identity since his 2016 campaign, when he famously called the Iraq War a “big, fat mistake.” This stance helped distinguish him from traditional Republican hawks and resonated with voters weary of overseas military interventions.

However, by Saturday, the president had declared he was “not afraid of boots on the ground” in Venezuela if necessary. He framed the intervention as essential for American security, arguing that it’s important to “surround” the U.S. with “good neighbors.” His comments about revitalizing Venezuela’s oil industry echo his 2013 statement at the Conservative Political Action Conference that the U.S. should “take” oil from Iraq to “pay ourselves back.”

In response to criticism about American overreach in Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted to clarify the administration’s position on Sunday, suggesting a more limited role. He stated that Washington would not manage day-to-day governance of the South American country beyond enforcing an existing “oil quarantine.”

Despite some rumblings of discontent, no coordinated Republican opposition to Trump’s Venezuela policy has materialized. Most GOP lawmakers appear to be giving the administration latitude while offering measured words of caution.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, facing a competitive reelection race, called Maduro a “narco-terrorist and international drug trafficker” who should face trial, while adding that “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.”

Even Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, known for his skepticism of foreign interventions, didn’t explicitly oppose the president’s actions, though he noted on social media that “time will tell if regime change in Venezuela is successful without significant monetary or human cost.”

Senator Mitch McConnell, who has had a contentious relationship with Trump and isn’t seeking reelection, described Maduro as a “thug” and affirmed that the president has “broad constitutional authority and long historical precedent for the limited use of military force.”

The Venezuela operation represents a critical moment for Trump’s presidency as he balances his “America First” promises with assertive foreign policy actions in the Western Hemisphere. How he navigates this tension could significantly impact Republican unity and electoral prospects in November’s midterm elections.