US weapons stocks booming, CEOs gloating after Maduro toppled

U.S. weapons stocks are soaring after the U.S. military captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and President Donald Trump’s announced Saturday that Washington is now “running” Venezuela and that he is willing to unleash another wave of attacks if the remaining leadership there doesn’t do what it’s told.

At the market’s close today, Axon Enterprise’s stock has shot up almost 5%; Huntington Ingalls Industries went up nearly 3.9%, Palantir is up almost 3.7% and General Dynamics has gained almost 3.6%. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman’s and Lockheed Martin’s stocks rose about 4.4% and 2.9% respectively; L3Harris is up almost 2.3%. Although operating a loss earlier this morning, RTX is now up about .5%.

European defense stocks also enjoyed a big boost. Winners include German defense company Rheinmetall, up 7.5%, and Italian company Leonardo, up 6%. U.K.-based BAE Systems gained about 4%.

“These stock gains clearly illustrate how weapons firms — some of the biggest recipients of U.S. tax dollars — benefit from instability and military adventurism disconnected from U.S. national security interests,” Eli Clifton, Quincy Institute Senior Advisor and an investigative journalist who focuses on U.S. foreign policy and money in politics, told RS.

“In this case, the unnecessary (and in violation of international law) abduction of a foreign head of state, an operation that put U.S. service members in harm’s way and killed 80 Venezuelan civilians and members of security forces, has resulted in a nice stock bump for the weapons business,” he said.

The remarkable stock gains follow Trump’s remarks Saturday, that he was not afraid to put “boots on the ground” in Venezuela as part of an effort to “run” the country, until a "proper transition [of power] can take place” there. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have repeatedly suggested that other Latin American countries could meet similar fates.

More broadly, the stock increases come amid governments’ increased demand for defense products amid turbulent geopolitical conditions, which have included years-long wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Caribbean has also seen a massive U.S. military buildup in recent months.

In any case, weapons company executives of past and present have taken to X to praise the recent U.S. operation, even though it likely violates international law, and was not authorized by Congress.

“In principle, I am a fan of Congress being notified before a strike,” wrote Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries.“In practice, the Venezuela operation would have been impossible because the offices of so many members leak like a sieve. The odds of Maduro getting tipped off by our own system approach 100%.”

Luckey also posted a photo on X of Maduro, made to wear goggles after his capture by U.S. forces, writing, “Didn't know Maduro was a VR fan!”

Shaun Maguire, a partner at venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, which invests in Anduril and other defense companies, hailed the day of the operation as “a glorious day” on X.

Yesterday, Palantir founder Joe Lonsdale agreed with an X post suggesting communists in the Western hemisphere should be blown up. “Exactly,” he wrote. “What did you think founding Palantir was supposed to be about?”