Peggy Noonan has a way of catching the national temperature before the thermometer even beeps. Her latest piece in The Wall Street Journal, titled "A Good Riddance, but a Disquieting One," isn't just about the fall of a dictator. It’s a somber meditation on a world that feels like it's shrinking, getting meaner, and losing its manners.
Honestly, Noonan sounds worried.
The column, published on January 15, 2026, tackles the removal of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. For years, Maduro was the "illegitimate head of state" who oversaw the ruin of a once-prosperous nation. Noonan makes it clear: No good person is crying over his exit. He was brutal. He was criminal. His time was up.
But the way it happened? That’s where she starts to pull at the threads of our global stability.
The Script Has Flipped in Venezuela
Usually, when we talk about regime change, there's a predictable American script. We debate, we sanction, we maybe send a strongly worded letter to the UN. But Noonan notes that the U.S. military "reversed the script" this time.
The news of Maduro’s removal broke on a Saturday. By Sunday, the world was staring at a different geopolitical map. Noonan describes the scene with her signature focus on the "feel" of power—the way the images shifted from the usual chaos to something more surgical, yet deeply unsettling.
It’s a win for the Venezuelan people. Definitely. But Noonan is looking at the cracks in the sidewalk. She argues that while we should celebrate the end of a "ruinous" era, we have to look at the "brutish and narrow" world we’re building in its place.
Why This Peggy Noonan Latest Column is Different
If you’ve read Noonan for a while, you know she loves a return to virtue. Only a few weeks ago, on New Year’s Eve, she was writing about a "Return to Gallantry." She’s tired of the "jarring and fevered" leadership she sees in D.C., particularly from figures like Pete Hegseth, whom she recently called a "drama queen" in a separate piece.
In the Maduro column, she connects these dots.
- The Loss of Soft Power: We are relying on "annihilative" force (as she hinted at in August) rather than the slow, boring work of diplomacy.
- The New Brutalism: Politics, both at home and abroad, has become a series of "bad actions and bad indexes."
- The Disquieting Void: When a strongman falls, what rushes in? Usually, it's not a Jeffersonian democracy. It’s often just a different kind of chaos.
She mentions that the world is becoming "narrow." That’s a classic Noonan-ism. She means we’re losing the big, expansive ideas of the 20th century—the kind she saw firsthand while writing speeches for Ronald Reagan. We’re getting smaller. More tribal.
Is Trump "Losing His Touch"?
You can't talk about a Peggy Noonan latest column without talking about her relationship with Donald Trump. She’s been a critic, a cautious observer, and occasionally, a begrudging fan of his "burst of energy."
But lately? She’s sounding the alarm.
In December, she wrote that Trump might be "losing his touch." She cited the AP-NORC reports showing his approval on the economy and immigration falling into the 30s. She sees him not as a rocket going up, but as one "going sideways or down."
In the Venezuela context, this matters. Noonan suggests that while the administration might claim a win here, the "mood shifts" in the country are ominous. There’s a "bipartisan slippage of standards" that she finds embarrassing. Whether it’s Biden’s pardon of his son or Trump’s "exotic" cabinet picks, Noonan feels the guardrails are gone.
What Most People Get Wrong About Noonan’s View
Some people think she’s just a "Never Trumper" or a relic of the old GOP. That's a bit of a lazy take.
Noonan is actually a cultural analyst disguised as a political columnist. When she writes about Maduro, she’s really writing about the fragility of civilization. She frequently references David McCullough or C.S. Lewis to remind us that history is a long game.
She recently pointed out that we’re in an "Era of Political Violence," citing the ambush of National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe. To her, the fall of a dictator in South America is part of the same story as a protest turning violent in West Virginia. It’s all part of the "frayed" America she described on CBS Sunday Morning.
Actionable Insights from the Latest Commentary
So, what do we actually do with Noonan’s perspective? She doesn’t just want us to sigh and drink tea. She’s looking for a specific kind of response from her readers.
- Maintain "Gatekeeper" Standards: Noonan argues we are all gatekeepers now. Don't wait for the "responsible men" of the 1960s media to tell you what's right. Hold your own line on standards and truth.
- Practice "Countercultural" Gallantry: In a world that is "brutish," being polite is a radical act. She literally told her readers to "become better people" to survive 2026.
- Study the History of Transitions: She suggests that the current era of "no precedent" transitions—where a President-elect acts like the sitting President—requires us to be more vigilant about constitutional norms.
- Value "Annihilative" Force Sparingly: If you're in a position of power, her advice from August stands: Use force as a last resort, but if you do, make it count. Don't play at war.
Peggy Noonan’s latest column reminds us that while we can say "good riddance" to the villains of history, we shouldn't let the celebration distract us from the fact that our own house needs a bit of a cleaning. The world is getting narrower. It’s up to the "unprotected"—as she famously called the working class—and the elite alike to start widening it again.
Next Steps for Readers
To stay ahead of the curve on Noonan's analysis, you should monitor the Wall Street Journal Opinion section every Thursday evening when her column typically drops digitally. Additionally, tracking the AP-NORC polling data she frequently cites will give you a clearer picture of why she believes the current administration's "sideways" trajectory is reaching a critical mass. Reviewing her 2024 collection, A Certain Idea of America, provides the necessary historical context to understand her critiques of both the Maduro situation and the current "era of political violence."