As Ronald Reagan might have put it, "There he goes again."

In 2017, Maduro used his federal judiciary to annul the Venezuelan National Assembly. He then engineered a new congress that consisted of his lackeys. Not surprisingly, Maduro's actions received condemnation from all over the world. The head of the OAS called it a coup and declared it to be the final blow to democracy. The U.S. government said it was a "serious setback for democracy in Venezuela."

In 2019, the U.S. Congress voted to reject Trump's request for funding for his immigration wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump's response? It was no different in principle from that of Maduro. No, Trump didn't abolish Congress but he has done the next best thing. He has chosen to ignore it, just as Maduro ignores the National Assembly. Trump simply decided to ignore and circumvent the will of Congress by declaring an "emergency." He now plans to use his army and U.S. taxpayer money to build his wall.