01/05/2026
One thing about the recent Venezuela military operation that I don’t see enough people talking about is where it was run from. The president chose to handle a national-security military action from a makeshift Situation Room at his private residence instead of the White House. That choice matters more than people seem to realize.
We already have a place designed specifically for this kind of moment. The White House Situation Room exists so presidents can make military and national-security decisions quickly, securely, and efficiently. It’s always staffed, fully secure, and directly connected to the Pentagon and intelligence agencies. Using it doesn’t require moving people, equipment, or security — it’s already there and already paid for.
When the president operates from a private property like Mar-a-Lago, the government has to recreate all of that from scratch. Extra Secret Service details, local police support, secured airspace, temporary communications, and staff travel all have to be put in place. None of that is free, and all of it is paid for by taxpayers.
That’s where the contradiction comes in. This administration spent a big part of its first 100 days talking about cutting “waste, fraud, and abuse.” But choosing to conduct official White House business — especially something as serious as military action — from a private residence instead of an existing, purpose-built command center adds unnecessary cost and complexity.
This isn’t about whether a president can work from somewhere else in an emergency. Of course they can. The question is why they would choose to do so when there’s already a secure national command center sitting in Washington, ready to go. Acting like we don’t have a capital designed for exactly this purpose makes no sense — and it’s a choice that deserves a lot more scrutiny.
