🔗 Share this article Venezuela May Now Determine Trump's Political Legacy - as well as America's Place in the Global Order In the wake of executing a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be getting into the nation-building business. In a remarkable press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US military forces had effectively seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then said that a delegation including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the embattled nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a secure, proper and careful transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" involves is unclear, but the vow marks an abrupt policy reversal for the president, full of inconsistencies and significant obstacles. A president who ran on opposing "endless conflicts", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America First" international policy is now betting his administration on effectively rebuilding a South American nation whose economy is in ruins and whose governmental stability has been eroded by decades of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was persistently confident. He claimed his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this will be no exception. He vowed to recruit American oil firms to repair Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, supplying funds for the American reconstruction efforts and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He declined to rule out sending American soldiers to Venezuela to further these efforts. "We're not afraid of boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he informed reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US invasion of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American planners of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "You break it, you bought it." A Changed Global Approach The US has reshaped Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump took office nearly a year ago promising to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force worldwide. In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck atomic sites in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, militias in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. Unlike past operations, which have mostly involved missiles and warplanes that minimize the exposure of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are markedly distinct. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness." Domestic and International Reaction That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra could be hard for some of Trump's supporters to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who broke with the president after charging him of deserting his political base, was quick to criticize the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's endless use of force and support of foreign wars is understandable because we are forced to pay for it," she stated. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. How mistaken we were." Another notable Trump critic, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on arms and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to retake confiscated US oil and halt fentanyl production. The majority of Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "criminal regime" as "decisive and legitimate". Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences During his press conference, the president said the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He resurrected the Monroe Doctrine – an early 19th Century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will not be challenged again." The purpose of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, land and resources that are central to our security interests." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's choice to apprehend Maduro will raise broader questions in international relations, however, and affect American ties with the world's other significant military powers. The Chinese government released a statement voicing surprise and condemning what it said was a reckless attack on a independent country. During the Biden administration, the US offered similar censures of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to broker a peace deal between those two nations – one that has often seemed to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, expressed worry about the message Trump's actions might send. "My main concern is now Russia will use this to excuse their illegal and brutal operations against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic opponents were more direct. "The United States should not be administering other countries for any purpose," said a senator who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee. "We should have learned by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry catastrophic consequences for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's decision not to inform congressional leaders before initiating the attack. "The President has the legal duty to follow the law and protect institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what placing America First requires." Trump, in his press conference, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" particulars of the operation before the attack. An Uncertain Future That military operation was a success – with no American casualties and limited damage to US assets. Trump, with his typical bravado, described the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American power and competency in US history." Now he is staking his presidency on that victory continuing, as the US claims it will take over running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that actually means remains unknown. He and his team must fortify a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is sure to be wary of what Trump's international strategy has in store for them.
In the wake of executing a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be getting into the nation-building business. In a remarkable press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US military forces had effectively seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then said that a delegation including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the embattled nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a secure, proper and careful transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" involves is unclear, but the vow marks an abrupt policy reversal for the president, full of inconsistencies and significant obstacles. A president who ran on opposing "endless conflicts", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America First" international policy is now betting his administration on effectively rebuilding a South American nation whose economy is in ruins and whose governmental stability has been eroded by decades of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was persistently confident. He claimed his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this will be no exception. He vowed to recruit American oil firms to repair Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, supplying funds for the American reconstruction efforts and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He declined to rule out sending American soldiers to Venezuela to further these efforts. "We're not afraid of boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he informed reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US invasion of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American planners of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "You break it, you bought it." A Changed Global Approach The US has reshaped Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump took office nearly a year ago promising to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force worldwide. In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck atomic sites in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, militias in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. Unlike past operations, which have mostly involved missiles and warplanes that minimize the exposure of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are markedly distinct. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness." Domestic and International Reaction That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra could be hard for some of Trump's supporters to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who broke with the president after charging him of deserting his political base, was quick to criticize the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's endless use of force and support of foreign wars is understandable because we are forced to pay for it," she stated. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. How mistaken we were." Another notable Trump critic, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on arms and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to retake confiscated US oil and halt fentanyl production. The majority of Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "criminal regime" as "decisive and legitimate". Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences During his press conference, the president said the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He resurrected the Monroe Doctrine – an early 19th Century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will not be challenged again." The purpose of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, land and resources that are central to our security interests." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's choice to apprehend Maduro will raise broader questions in international relations, however, and affect American ties with the world's other significant military powers. The Chinese government released a statement voicing surprise and condemning what it said was a reckless attack on a independent country. During the Biden administration, the US offered similar censures of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to broker a peace deal between those two nations – one that has often seemed to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, expressed worry about the message Trump's actions might send. "My main concern is now Russia will use this to excuse their illegal and brutal operations against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic opponents were more direct. "The United States should not be administering other countries for any purpose," said a senator who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee. "We should have learned by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry catastrophic consequences for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's decision not to inform congressional leaders before initiating the attack. "The President has the legal duty to follow the law and protect institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what placing America First requires." Trump, in his press conference, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" particulars of the operation before the attack. An Uncertain Future That military operation was a success – with no American casualties and limited damage to US assets. Trump, with his typical bravado, described the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American power and competency in US history." Now he is staking his presidency on that victory continuing, as the US claims it will take over running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that actually means remains unknown. He and his team must fortify a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is sure to be wary of what Trump's international strategy has in store for them.