"Even kings had more control than Trump," says Jeffrey Sachs.

247 - Economist Jeffrey Sachs stated that the United States is experiencing such a profound institutional collapse that It is no longer possible to speak of constitutional order....with a president operating without checks and balances and without any effective control from Congress. In an interview with Judge Andrew Napolitano, on the program... Judging FreedomSachs also classified it as "war" what he called the government's offensive Donald Trump, current president of the United States, against Venezuela, denouncing a serious and deliberate violation from the Charter of the United Nations and the American Constitution itself.

The interview aired on YouTube. Judging Freedom On Monday, January 5, 2026, and it comes after a weekend marked by escalating tensions involving Venezuela. Napolitano opens the dialogue with a direct question: how could the US government justify what happened “under international law, under American law, or under the United States Constitution”? Sachs responds categorically: "In my view, it's not possible."

“This is a war,” Sachs says about the action against Venezuela.

Sachs argues that the episode should be treated accurately, without euphemisms.

 "This is a war. The United States launched a war to control Venezuela."

According to the economist, the decision was made by Trump without congressional involvement, which would constitute a direct breach of the US constitutional framework.

 "In the American Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. Congress had no role in this."

He claims that the president acted on "personal orders" and that not even monarchies of the past operated with such a degree of arbitrariness.

 "President Trump did this on his own initiative. Even kings in the past had more control and oversight than our president has."

"We are no longer in a constitutional order," says the economist.

Sachs' most forceful statement comes when he describes the internal political crisis in the US as a process of degradation that has now reached a breaking point.

 "We are not in a constitutional order under the U.S. Constitution."

He then expands on the diagnosis, describing Congress as a virtually non-existent institution in the face of the military escalation decided by the Executive branch.

 "It has reached a point where, for all intents and purposes, Congress does not exist. There are no checks and balances on the president."

Sachs argues that the absence of institutional checks and balances is not a recent phenomenon, but that it has worsened to an extreme level, constituting a breakdown of the democratic pact.

UN Charter and treaties: "gross violation of international law"

In reporting that he was testifying before the UN Security Council, Sachs says the case represents a serious violation international law and the legal obligations assumed by the United States itself.

 "This is a gross, reckless, and dangerous violation of the UN Charter, international law, and as you said, American law and the American Constitution."

He explains that the US ratified the UN Charter in July 1945 and that the text explicitly prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any country.

 "The UN Charter is absolutely clear in Article 2, Section 4: No country may use force or even the threat of force against another country in a manner that would impair its territorial integrity or sovereign independence."

Sachs' conclusion is that Trump and the US government did exactly what the treaty prohibits.

 "And yet, President Trump and the US government did exactly that."

Unauthorized bombings and threats to several countries.

Sachs argues that the offensive against Venezuela is part of a broader pattern marked by military attacks without congressional authorization or UN backing.

 "The United States bombed seven countries last year. None of them had congressional authorization, as far as I remember. None."

He also reports that Trump allegedly threatened countries with the direct use of force, citing Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria, Mexico, Denmark, and Colombia, and adding Cuba to the list after the interviewer reminded him.

"The world sees the United States as a lawless state."

Napolitano asks if the US has come to be seen as a "rogue state," an outlaw state that uses brute force to impose hegemony and seize wealth. Sachs responds by saying that this is the prevailing view on the planet.

 "That's the prevailing view around the world. I would say it's almost universal, if not universal."

He notes that some countries would applaud this behavior, but states that, for most, Washington has become synonymous with illegality.

Sachs also mentions the existence of countries that, because they depend on the military and political power of the US, would avoid openly criticizing Washington.

 "There are a number of vassal states that dare not say what they think, and I would place most of Europe in that category."

Venezuela as a "colony" and the objective would be oil.

In a central passage, Napolitano recounts the statement of a Venezuelan authority who allegedly said: "We are nobody's colony." The interviewer says that, based on Trump's statements, the impression is that Venezuela would be treated as a US colony. Sachs responds by saying that the real objective would be economic and strategic.

 "What Trump wants, in an operational sense, is control over Venezuela's oil."

He claims that the White House would rely on total coercion — including blockades, threats, and covert operations — to control the country's destiny.

 "The theory in the White House is that, through force, quarantines, threats of more force, covert actions, perhaps assassinations... they can determine what Venezuela will do."

According to Sachs, the goal would be to transfer Venezuelan assets to large corporations, citing companies directly.

 "That Venezuela will hand over its assets to ExxonMobil, Chevron, and whoever else Donald Trump and his circle want to enrich."

He adds that, according to news reports he heard, Chevron's stock reportedly rose before the market opened following the events.

"Regime change rarely works and generates chaos."

Sachs states that he does not believe Trump will achieve his stated or implied goal of taking control of Venezuela. According to him, regime change operations fail most of the time and leave a legacy of prolonged instability.

 "The typical experience with regime change operations is that they don't work... They very rarely achieve those ends."

According to the economist, the result is usually a permanent state of disorder.

 "Typically, the result is continuous chaos."

The escalation in Venezuela as a symptom of a broader collapse.

According to Sachs' assessment, the episode is not limited to Venezuela. It is presented as a symbol of the collapse of international law and the erosion of internal democracy., with the President of the United States operating without legal limits.

Finally, Napolitano thanks him and says he hopes Sachs will return to the program later in the week, as new information emerges about what has been done and what the next steps of the US government might be.

"Let's do it." "Sachs replies, ending the interview."