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A portrait of former President Ronald Reagan hangs behind President Donald Trump as he makes an announcement on prescription drugs in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 30, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski - AFP / Getty Images)

Donald Trump and 1980s Deja Vu: Maduro's Capture Just Latest Example

By Randy DeSoto January 6, 2026 at 4:30am

For any who lived through the 1980s and certainly those of us who came of age politically during that time, it feels like déjà vu.

And this sense was only heightened by the daring nighttime military operation to apprehend Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro for leading a narco-terrorist state.

During the summer of 1988, I was a West Point cadet attending Jungle School in Panama about a year and a half before U.S. forces invaded the Central American nation to capture fugitive drug lord Manuel Noriega.

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Tags:

Donald Trump, Foreign policy, Patriotism, Ronald Reagan, Venezuela

Randy DeSoto

Contributing Journalist

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Randy DeSoto has written more than 3,000 articles for The Western Journal since he began with the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."

@RandyDeSoto

Randy DeSoto wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.

Birthplace

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Nationality

American

Honors/Awards

Graduated dean's list from West Point

Education

United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law

Books Written

We Hold These Truths

Professional Memberships

Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars