The Trump Delcy Rodriguez Situation is Bizarre
PDS Published 01/06/2026
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The prosecution of Nicolas Maduro is going to be a circus and we’ve barely entered the big top tent.
Right, following the US’s invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its leader, Nicolas Maduro made his first appearance in a US court yesterday.
Where he pleaded not guilty to the 4 charges laid against him including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns.
And when he showed up in court, Maduro introduced himself as the president of Venezuela and insisted that he is a prisoner of war rather than a defendant. []
Which is a key distinction to make for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, it sends a message - that the raid on Venezuela wasn’t a law enforcement operation, it was a military action.
And by claiming to be a prisoner of war, Maduro is saying his treatment should be dictated by international law and the Geneva Convention. []
Rather than face the accusation of personal wrongdoing and a trial under US civilian laws.
And it seems likely that Maduro’s legal team - which includes DC-based attorney Barry Joel Pollack - is going to argue that Maduro was, in fact, detained illegally.
Though legal experts say that may be a tough sell.
Saying federal courts, quote "generally declined to interfere with the means of arrest." []
But that’s just one of the paths that Maduro’s defense could take in this incredibly legally complex case.
What’s even more likely is that we’re going to see Maduro’s status as a head of state and an argument for immunity pop up at some point.
Though even that could be quite a hurdle for Maduro’s defense team.
Right, there is precedent for the US government bringing the leader of another country to trial but it’s pretty rare.
Though this case is being heavily compared to the early 90s prosecution of Panama dictator Manuel Noriega (Man-well Nor-ee-ay-guh). []
Who was also accused of participating in a large-scale operation to smuggle drugs into the United States.
As well as also being captured in a military operation in his home country.
In that case, Nor-ee-ay-guh’s argument for immunity as a foreign head of state was shot down and he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to 40 years in prison. []
And the big reason why his immunity argument failed is because he wasn’t formally recognized as the legitimate leader of his country. []
Which is also the case with Maduro.
The US hasn’t recognized Maduro as the legit leader of Venezuela since 2019 - when he was reelected in what was internationally considered a fraudulent election. []
And that point has led to some conflicting reports between legal experts - with a retired prosecutor from the Nor-ee-ay-guh case saying,
“There’s no claim to sovereign immunity if we don’t recognize him as head of state. Several U.S. administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have called his election fraudulent and withheld U.S. recognition. Sadly, for Maduro, it means he’s stuck with it.” []
But we’ve also seen legal experts argue the opposite - saying that Maduro has, quote, “a much stronger sovereign immunity defense” than Nor-ee-ay-guh did. []
Especially considering that in the unsealed indictment, the Justice Department has referred to Maduro as the “de facto but illegitimate ruler” of Venezuela. []
So there’s a chance the defense team could argue for even just partial immunity for Maduro’s official acts. []
But even that is going to be a hard sell for the defense because Maduro is accused of facilitating the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the US by providing law enforcement coverage and partnering with drug traffickers.
With one law professor noting the government will likely argue, quote, “running a big narco-trafficking operation ... should not count as an official act,” []
So we’re likely going to see this argument of immunity in any form be litigated all over again - maybe all the way up to the Supreme Court.
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg in the complications this case may face.
While the structure will likely be similar to any standard criminal case, it’s likely going to move even slower than we’re used to.
Especially considering that some of the evidence may come from intelligence sources or be classified.
Which means the process of discovery - or evidence shared between the prosecutors and defense team - could take a long while.
With one law professor from Duke saying,
"The government may not want to use any classified information at trial, but that doesn't mean that the government doesn't have an obligation to turn over some classified material potentially if it's exculpatory or otherwise is discoverable under the federal rules.” []
There’s also the issue of witnesses - with one former federal prosecutor on a case against high-ranking Venezuelans saying drug trafficking cases can be harder to prove because of their reliance on witnesses within the drug trade itself. []
Saying,
“You’re going to have to get somebody in the room with him who says he knew about it, he allowed it to happen, or that he did something more.” []
Which brings up a whole new issue of security.
Regardless, it seems that the prosecution is confident in its case.
With several former prosecutors saying the Justice Department would only move to capture and indict Maduro if they believed the case was strong enough. []
So now the big question is whether or not this is going to see trial.
Right, as of now Maduro has pleaded not guilty but there is still time to reach a plea agreement.
And considering he’s potentially facing a life sentence for the conspiracy charges plus decades for the weapons violations, he might be driven to take that option. []
But if this case does go to trial, it certainly isn’t going to be soon.
With legal experts saying that with all the hurdles, the trial likely won’t take place this year. []
And if and when it does get to that, for all their apparent confidence, it’s not going to be a slam dunk for the prosecution.
With one of the lead federal prosecutors in the Justice Department's prosecution of El Chapo in 2019 saying,
"The question is going to be: How do you put these allegations together and prove them with witnesses and documents in a way that will make sense to a jury?" []
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While Maduro is being prosecuted in the US, and people have taken to the street saying his dictatorship is over, the members of his inner circle remain in power.
This includes his interior minister and defense minister, for example, who have both been indicted in the U.S. on drug smuggling charges.
And then, of course, Maduro’s vice president? Delcy Rodríguez? She was just sworn in yesterday as the country’s interim leader – even winning an endorsement from Maduro’s own son, who promised his “unconditional support.”
But she’s also the currently preferred choice of the Trump administration – and she may be the leader the oil industry wanted in Venezuela all along.
Right, she’s the daughter of a leftist militant who once orchestrated the kidnapping of an American businessman and died in 1976 after being tortured in prison by state security forces.
An experience that is said to have shaped her worldview and eventually led her to work in the successive governments of former president Hugo Chavez and then Maduro.
With “former colleagues and U.S. officials” reportedly describing her “as a ruthlessly ambitious and Machiavellian political operative.” []
And with that, she worked her way up to foreign minister and then economic and finance minister.
And, in 2024, after Maduro’s widely contested reelection, she was named “Minister of Petroleum and Hydrocarbons” – putting her in charge of the national oil company.
A position in which she apparently made a real good impression – with Bloomberg reporting that executives, lawyers, and investors tied to the oil industry all made the case to the White House for Rodríguez as Maduro’s replacement.
Right, according to the outlet, she impressed them by navigating Venezuela’s industry through international sanctions, economic pressures and internal mismanagement. []
Leading many to believe she could stabilize Venezuela’s economy and pave the way for American business interests faster and more effectively than someone like María Corina Machado – the country’s opposition leader.
Trump’s inner circle reportedly came to the same conclusion – also basing their decision on factors such as a classified C.I.A. intelligence analysis looking at what might happen if Maduro was no longer president.
Right, this report? It determined that members of Maduro’s regime, including Rodriguez, would have the best chance of facilitating a stable transition.
While Machado or Edmundo González, who is widely seen as the actual winner of the 2024 election, would have a harder time due to greater pushback from pro-regime security services, drug-trafficking networks, and political opponents. []
Although, notably, Trump reportedly had another reason for not wanting to work with them.
Right, during his first term, his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign, along with other diplomatic efforts, were aimed at creating the conditions for Venezuela’s opposition to rise up and remove Maduro from power.
But that obviously didn’t happen, and according to Juan Cruz, who served as the top White House official handling Latin American policy at the time, Trump blamed the opposition – telling the Wall Street Journal:
“Trump sees [them] as losers, as they failed to deliver.”
“It’s an opposition that he sees as unimpressive and having come up short, so why would you just turn it over to them?” []
Of course, with that, the opposition hasn’t stopped trying to prove itself.
WIth Machado announcing her plans to return to Venezuela as soon as possible and laying it on thick for Trump in a Fox News interview last night – even offering to share her Nobel Peace Prize with him. .
You also had her going after Rodríguez – calling her the “architect” of the Maduro government’s repression and saying she can’t be trusted.
And while it’s not clear the exact role she played, it’s true she was by his side as he ordered what has been described as the most aggressive wave of repression the country has seen in the aftermath of the contested 2024 reelection. []
And now, as she takes over, there are concerns that a new wave of repression has begun.
Right, just yesterday, Venezuelan authorities detained at least 14 members of the news media, according to the country’s main union for journalists and media employees.
Which also said that at least some had their phones confiscated and thoroughly searched, including contacts, conversations, voice notes, Instagram accounts, emails, and documents..[]
In the end, though, all were released – with one actually being deported.
Though, notably, heavily armed security forces and pro-government motorcycle gangs known as colectivos are still roaming the capital, reportedly stopping drivers at times and checking their phones.
With the head of a research group based in Argentina arguing that their presence “on the streets is clearly intended to reinforce the government’s internal repression scheme and prevent popular mobilizations through fear.”
But, of course, that might not be a problem for this White House.
Right, Trump has now claimed the US oil industry could be "up and running" with increased operations in Venezuela within 18 months – and the only way there’s a chance of that happening is with some stability.
So Trump has expressed his openness to attacking Venezuela again and even sending troops into the country to keep it on track.
With one source telling Politico that the administration ultimately believes Rodriguez is on a “short leash” and is “confident they can whip her in whatever direction they want before they dispose of her and move on.” []
And with that, beside opening the door to US companies, Trump reportedly has a list of at least three major demands for Rodriguez:
1) cracking down on the flow of drugs;
2) kicking out Iranian, Cuban and other operatives of countries or networks hostile to Washington;
And 3) stopping the sale of oil to U.S. adversaries.
The U.S. is also reportedly asking that Americans held prisoner in the country be released.
But notably, people familiar with the Trump team’s discussion have reportedly said they weren’t aware of any demand that other political prisoners be freed.
And the lack of such a demand worries some in even Republican foreign policy circles who fear the U.S. won’t follow through on efforts to bring about new leadership. []
And on that note, while U.S. officials reportedly expect Rodriguez to eventually facilitate free elections and step aside – that’s apparently much lower priority.
And Trump himself has said there is “no way” elections could be held anytime soon – saying:
“We have to fix the country first.”
And with that, we’ve seen White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller trying to bridge the gap between Trump’s claims that the U.S. will be “running” and “in charge of “Venezuela” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s explanation that the U.S. will just be applying leverage:
“We have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run an economy, they need our permission. So the United States is in charge. The United States is running the country.” (6:28-6:47)
And in response, you’ve had the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders saying that
And with that, like we talked about yesterday, this isn’t just about Venezuela.
Columbia, Mexico, and Cuba have all been named – but maybe the most shocking threats have been made against Greenland.
Which, very notably, isn’t just strategically located.
It also has huge stores of rare-earth minerals used for making batteries, cellphones, electric vehicles and other high-tech products.
And some scientists even believe that parts of the country might hold massive oil and gas deposits – though, notably, Greenland’s government gave up on accessing it due to environmental risks and concerns about commercial viability.
And the Trump team is only getting more aggressive in its rhetoric.
With Stephen Miller essentially claiming in that interview that Greenland, and by extension, its resources, rightfully belong to the U.S. and that the Trump administration could seize the territory if it wanted – while also arguing:
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”
But of course, all we know is that Trump has refused to rule out military action – and it’s far from clear that Denmark and its allies wouldn’t defend its territory.
And you’ve had the Danish PM warning that a U.S. attack would lead to the end of NATO, saying:
“The international community as we know it; democratic rules of the game; NATO, the world’s strongest defensive alliance — all of that would collapse if one NATO country chose to attack another.”
But with that, even if it doesn’t get to that point, Trump’s action in Venezuela is already sending a message that the rules of the game have changed.
Right, you’ve had the Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN urging the Security Council to demand the release of Maduro and his wife, and adding:
"If the kidnapping of a head of state, the bombing of a sovereign country and the open threat of further armed action are tolerated or downplayed, the message sent to the world is a devastating one: namely that the law is optional, and that force is the true arbiter of international relations.”
And with that, while Russia and China also condemned the US’s actions, you have many analysts saying they may be the countries more than any others that see this as an opportunity.
With one expert at the Brookings Institution saying:
“If we have the right to be aggressive in our own backyard why can’t they?”[]
And to that point, you’ve had the former Russian president, saying:
“Let’s put it bluntly…now they have no grounds, even formally, to reproach our country.”[]
That said, it’s not like that’s stopped Russia so far, but China? It hasn’t invaded Taiwan yet.
And you have some arguing that just became more likely – with a senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace arguing:
“Seeing the international community accept the recent US actions almost certainly reinforce Beijing’s belief that a move against Taiwan would be far easier for the world to swallow.” []
Now, with that, I will say, some have argued that Trump’s actions in Venezuela actually won’t have any real impact on China’s calculations regarding Taiwan.
With one big reason that an attack there would likely be more costly – especially since the aim would likely go beyond kidnapping its leader.
But what’s clear is that the world might be changing before our eyes and we may only know the real consequences of that once we’re dealing with them.
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Can y’all feel it? Can you feel America getting healthier again?
Well get ready, because RFK Jr’s about to execute a quantum leap in American healthiness.
[Clip, 02:20 - 02:24] Caption: “That’s what my mission is: eliminate the politics from science.”
Right, about a month ago, Trump was like, hey Bobby, look into this childhood vaccine schedule thing for me, would ya? [B roll]
So Bobby was like, sure thing Don, and since then he’s been hard at work in his office, neck-deep in the science, frantically scribbling indecipherable math equations on a chalkboard. [B roll, 00:04 - 00:08, 00:49 - 00:53]
And finally he’s emerged to announce that after an exhaustive review of the evidence, the data just so happens to totally confirm what he already believes! [B roll, and Quote, find “doing better”]
So from now on, the total number of vaccines reccomended for all children has been reduced from 17 to 11. [Image]
Which is kind of weird, because weren’t kids previously getting like 80 shots?
[Clip, 00:40 - 00:51] Caption: “You have a little child, a little fragile child, and you got a vat of 80 different vaccines, I guess, 80 different blends, and they pump it in.”
Anyway, the 11 shots that remain are for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, HPV, chickenpox, pneumococcal disease [Pronounce], and Haemophilus influenzae type B [Pronounce]. [B roll, 00:45]
And the six shots getting kicked off the list are those for influenza, RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, and meningococcal disease [Pronounce]. [Same B roll]
This even though RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization in American infants.
With all this coming after RFK’s hand-picked vaccine advisory panel also sharply restricted its Covid vaccine reccomendation for most Americans a few months ago. [Headline]
[Clip, 02:57 - 03:05] Caption: “Covid vaccines are inappropriate for six-year-old children who basically have a zero risk from Covid.”
Now needless to say, the “evidence” marshaled by RFK and his minions to justify this change is questionable.
Right, they claim that despite reccomending significantly more shots than any other peer developed nation, the United States has lower vaccination rates and childhood health outcomes. [Quote, find “20 peer”]
With them citing Denmark in particular, because it only immunizes kids against 10 diseases. [Same quote]
But public health experts refute that, pointing out that apart from one or two exceptions, the U.S. vaccine schedule was nearly identical to those of Canada, Britain, Australia and Germany. [Quote, find “identical”]
And as for the ones that diverge from us, they’re often responding to specific conditions unique to their countries.
So for example, Japan excludes some vaccines that the U.S. reccomends, but it includes others that the U.S. doesn’t, like a shot for Japanese encephalitis. [Quote, find “Japanese”]
Even in Denmark, they exclude some vaccines not because they’re unsafe, but because they’re too expensive, given that Denmark provides universal healthcare, has a population 2% the size of ours, and a totally different risk profile. [Quote same link, find “expensive”]
Now anyway, RFK’s Health Department insists that anyone who wants the six vaccines it stopped reccomending can still get them through Affordable Care Act insurance plans and federal insurance programs. [Quote, find “pocket”]
With the press release clearly stating: “Families will not have to purchase them out of pocket.” [Same quote]
And as of right now, many major insurance companies say they’ll keep covering the shots through at least the end of 2026. [Quote, find “2026”]
But it’s possible that GOP-led states follow the federal government’s lead, and experts worry that parents will take this as a cue not to vaccinate their kids. [B roll, 00:00 - 00:15]
With the chair of the infectious disease committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics telling The New York Times: [Same B roll]
“Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we can no longer trust the leadership of our federal government for credible information about vaccines, and that’s a tragedy that will cause needless suffering.” [Quote and same B roll]
But totally overhauling the decades-old vaccine schedule isn’t the only way RFK’s making America healthy again.
And that’s because the Times and the New York Post now report that the Health Department is planning to freeze 10 billion dollars in funding for five Democratic states. [Headline]
Those being New York, California, Illinois, Colorado, and of course Minnesota, the site of the whole Somali Medicaid fraud scandal. [Highlight states on map]
[Clip, 21:14 - 21:19] Caption: “Every one of them should be forced to leave this country, including Ilhan Omar.”
This after the White House froze 185 million dollars for Minnesota day care centers last week, but if that seemed like a lot, this 10 billion dollar cut dwarfs that. [Headline]
It includes seven billion dollars for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance to households with children, [Quote, find “2.4”]
Nearly 2.4 billion dollars for the Child Care Development Fund, which supports child care for working parents, [Same quote]
And around 870 million dollars for social services grants that mostly benefit children at risk. [Same quote]
All of which could leave hundreds of thousands of low-income households cut off from aid they rely on to survive.
Now if you ask the Trump administration, they claim these cuts are necessary because Democrats in all five states have allowed fraud to run rampant. [Quote, find “complicit”]
[Clip, 21:42 - 21:51] Caption: “We’re not gonna pay them, and we’re not gonna pay California, and we’re not gonna pay Illinois with that big slob of a governor that they have.”
But here’s the thing; although people have been indicted for what appears to be genuine fraud in Minnesota, there’s no evidence as of yet that the other four states have suffered anything similar.
In fact, even for Minnesota, the alleged fraud allegations aren’t new; right, they were first investigated and charged by Biden’s DoJ.
And it’s not even clear that the specific fraud alleged in the viral video put out over Christmas by the right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley actually occurred.
Right, because despite all the dramatic clips of him aggressively confronting random Somalis, … [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:00 - 00:03, 00:17 - 00:22]
… he presented little in the way of concrete evidence. [Continue B roll]
And when state investigators visited the day care centers spotlighted in the video, reportedly they were all operating as expected. [Quote, find “visited”]
But regardless, it appears that Minnesota’s governor, Tim WalZ, couldn’t survive the political pressure brought to bear on his state.
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In just a year Walz went from running for Vice President to announcing yesterday he wasn’t going to seek reelection.
In a post announcing his decision, Walz said:
“Minnesota has to come first - always.
Today, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to make Minnesota the best place to live and raise kids.” []
He went on to mention how widespread fraud in the state has become a major problem.
It’s also more than just a fiscal problem, with Walz adding that “we now see an organized group of political actors seeking to take advantage of the crisis.”
“I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies… want to make our state a colder, meaner place.”
“We’ve got Republicans here in the legislature playing hide-and-seek with whistleblowers. We’ve got conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers breaking into daycare centers… We’ve got the President of the United States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongly confiscating childcare funding Minnesotans rely on.”
“It’s disgusting and it is dangerous.” []
The rest of the statement touches more on how the Trump administration has canceled childcare payments to Minnesota in relation to allegations of widespread fraud across the state -- with many on the right blaming the Somali community there.
It’s clear from the statement that Walz places a lot of emphasis on the recent fraud scandal rocking the state.
With the latest drama coming from a viral video by Nick Shirley where he went to Somali-run daycare centers to “prove” they were fraud.
There’s been a lot of pushback against that video -- such as allegations he purposefully went outside of business hours to misrepresent the situation.
Not to mention that while fraud in Minnesota has been a problem, it’s also been one that Walz and even the Biden administration tried to tackle by arresting people and charging them.
One of the biggest rings was busted before Trump took office again.
While it did have Somali defendants, the ring leader was a white lady -- a fact MAGA often ignores.
Not that it really matters because Shirley’s video was effective in driving the right-wing narrative that Somalis in the state are behind the widespread fraud there.
It’s also driven Shirley into prominence, so much so that he’s decided to take credit for Walz’s decision and wrote:
President Trump responded to this news a well and wrote:
“Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor will possibly leave office before his term is up but, in any event, will not be running again because he was caught, REDHANDED, along with Ilhan Omar, and others of his Somali friends, stealing tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.”
“I feel certain the facts will come out, and they will reveal a seriously unscrupulous, and rich, group of “SLIMEBALLS.” Governor Walz has destroyed the state of Minnesota, but others, like Governor Gavin Newscum, JB Pritzker, and Kathy Hochul, have done, in my opinion, an even more dishonest and incompetent job. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!” []
(The irony of him saying that when the Supreme Court has pretty much said he is literally above the law).
It’s not a surprise that those on the right aren’t fans of Walz.
Over on the left he largely received praise from fellow Democrats such as Democratic National committee Chairman Ken Martin, who praised Walz for “[entering] public life for the right reasons and never lost sight of them.”
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar similarly praised Walz on X:
“He has always dedicated his career to delivering for Minnesota — from providing school breakfast and lunches to our kids to passing gun safety legislation to maintaining our state’s AAA bond rating. He is a true public servant.” []
The big question now is who will be the viable candidates in the upcoming election.
For that it's probably too early to say, because the Democratic party doesn't have a replacement lined up.
Although Klobuchar is reportedly considering it.
For the Republicans there's like 11 candidates, including the MyPillow founder.
The fallout from this will likely continue as many feel it has emboldened the Trump administration to go after governors and states it claims are “corrupt,” with California looking like its next target.
Right, Trump has been writing that California is “more corrupt than Minnesota” and is now investigating the state for fraud.
We’ll have to wait and see to find out what happens there though, but it doesn’t look like the administration plans to slow down anytime soon.
Who knows, maybe Governor Gavin Newsom will announce his run for president and pull a page from Trump’s playbook and say the administration can’t investigate him because it’ll now be a “political witch hunt” and hurt his chances at running for president.
Because apparently that’s a get out of jail free card now.
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And then there's more. You need to know more.
We need to dive into it in just a minute.
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Hilton has gone woke and is refusing to provide rooms for ICE agents!
That is a major narrative online right now as ICE is making headlines for increasing its presence in Minnesota.
But the thing is, Hilton is not really making the big political stand your FYP might be suggesting.
Right, so this all started yesterday when the Department of Homeland Security posted alleged email screenshots from Hilton properties in the area, including a Hampton Inn in Lakeville, refusing service.
Saying:
“After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and will be cancelling your upcoming reservation.”[]
And:
“We are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property. If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation. Please pass this info to your coworkers.”
So DHS was livid, and wrote:
“NO ROOM AT THE INN! @HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.”
“This is UNACCEPTABLE.”
And reactions fell along party lines, right, with some applauding Hilton, arguing that DHS deserves this, that ICE agents should be refused rooms.
And others were on DHS’s side, thinking Hilton is discriminating against ICE.
For its part, Hilton did not confirm the validity of the emails, but a spokesperson did respond to the situation.
Telling multiple news outlets that the hotel in question is independently owned and operated, and the actions did not reflect the company’s values, explaining:[]
“We have been in direct contact with the hotel, and they have apologized for the actions of their team, which was not in keeping with their policies. Hilton’s position is clear: Our properties are open to everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination.”
The hotel's management company, Everpeak Hospitality, also issued an apology and said it had reached out to those impacted to make sure they are accommodated.
However, a DHS spokesperson said the matter had not actually been addressed and neither ICE or DHS had heard from the hospitality group about the reservations.[]
And then, conservative media personality Nick Sortor went to the location in question and claimed that the hospitality group “STRAIGHT UP LIED” in its statement and that no policy changes had been made. []
With him even sharing a video of a hotel worker saying:
“We’re not accepting people from immigration, ICE agents, DHS, into our property. It’s just our management and ownership. (1:13-1:23)
So this ignited the backlash even further on the right, and Hilton released a statement early this morning saying they are dropping the hotel, writing:
“The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this. A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values. As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is, and always has been, a welcoming place for all.”[]
And so now, the people who were applauding Hilton for denying ICE agents rooms are walking that back and criticizing the company, saying it is “bowing down to Trump.”[]
So Hilton is just the latest brand at the center of a political push and pull, but this time it managed to anger both sides of the political aisle at different points of this whole debacle.
Yesterday, Hilton shares did dip around 2%.
But as far as the long-term, we will have to see if this is something people move on and forget about, or if it becomes a Budlight level event.
