🔗 Share this article Venezuela May Now Define Trump's Legacy - as well as the United States' Position in the Global Order In the wake of launching a night of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be getting into the state-building business. In a striking press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday morning, the president announced that US military forces had effectively captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then said that a group featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the beleaguered nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a safe, orderly and judicious transition," he said. What exactly "managing the nation" entails is uncertain, but the pledge marks an dramatic policy reversal for the president, laden with contradictions and significant challenges. A president who ran on opposing "forever wars", who sharply criticised past US attempts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now staking his presidency on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economic system is in ruins and whose governmental stability has been undermined by years of dictatorship. Yet, Trump was relentlessly optimistic. He claimed his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this would be no exception. He promised to recruit American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, supplying funds for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude sending American soldiers to Venezuela to further these efforts. "We do not fear boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he informed reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to remember the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." A Changed Global Approach The US has reshaped Venezuela's future – for better or worse. Trump entered office nearly a year ago promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is quite prepared to use military force around the globe. In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted nuclear facilities in Iran, alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, insurgent groups in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. In contrast to past actions, which have mostly involved rockets and aircraft that reduce the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are notably distinct. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Domestic and International Reaction That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - slogan could be hard for some of Trump's followers to accept. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist who broke with the president after accusing him of abandoning his core supporters, was quick to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's perpetual use of force and support of overseas conflicts is justified because we are forced to fund it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. How mistaken we were." Another prominent Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on arms and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to reclaim confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the armed intervention against a "criminal regime" as "decisive and warranted". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" priorities because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He dusted off 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 "Donroe Doctrine." The action in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will not be challenged again." The purpose of the new US security policy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, land and resources that are central to our national security." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's decision to capture Maduro will provoke larger concerns in international relations, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major global powers. The Chinese government issued a statement voicing surprise and condemning what it said was a irresponsible assault on a sovereign nation. During the Biden administration, the US offered comparable condemnations of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to mediate a ceasefire between those two nations – one that has frequently seemed to be leaning to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, voiced concern about the message Trump's actions might send. "My main worry is now Russia will use this to justify their unlawful and brutal operations against Ukraine, or China to rationalize an invasion of Taiwan." Political Criticism and Constitutional Questions Trump's Democratic opponents were more direct. "America should not be administering other countries for any purpose," said a senator who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee. "We should have understood by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and overthrow attempts that carry catastrophic results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a lawbreaker and a dictator with a record of human rights abuses. But he condemned Trump's choice not to inform congressional leaders before initiating the attack. "The President has the legal duty to abide by the law and uphold democratic norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" particulars of the operation before the attack. An Uncertain Future That military operation was a triumph – with zero American deaths and limited harm to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic bravado, portrayed the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and impressive displays of American power and proficiency in US history." Now he is staking his legacy on that success enduring, as the US says it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that truly entails remains unclear. He and his administration must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for decades while calming a region that is sure to be cautious of what Trump's international strategy has in store for them.
In the wake of launching a night of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be getting into the state-building business. In a striking press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday morning, the president announced that US military forces had effectively captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then said that a group featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the beleaguered nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a safe, orderly and judicious transition," he said. What exactly "managing the nation" entails is uncertain, but the pledge marks an dramatic policy reversal for the president, laden with contradictions and significant challenges. A president who ran on opposing "forever wars", who sharply criticised past US attempts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now staking his presidency on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economic system is in ruins and whose governmental stability has been undermined by years of dictatorship. Yet, Trump was relentlessly optimistic. He claimed his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this would be no exception. He promised to recruit American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, supplying funds for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude sending American soldiers to Venezuela to further these efforts. "We do not fear boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he informed reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to remember the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." A Changed Global Approach The US has reshaped Venezuela's future – for better or worse. Trump entered office nearly a year ago promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is quite prepared to use military force around the globe. In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted nuclear facilities in Iran, alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, insurgent groups in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. In contrast to past actions, which have mostly involved rockets and aircraft that reduce the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are notably distinct. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Domestic and International Reaction That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - slogan could be hard for some of Trump's followers to accept. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist who broke with the president after accusing him of abandoning his core supporters, was quick to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's perpetual use of force and support of overseas conflicts is justified because we are forced to fund it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. How mistaken we were." Another prominent Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on arms and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to reclaim confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the armed intervention against a "criminal regime" as "decisive and warranted". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" priorities because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He dusted off 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 "Donroe Doctrine." The action in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will not be challenged again." The purpose of the new US security policy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, land and resources that are central to our national security." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's decision to capture Maduro will provoke larger concerns in international relations, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major global powers. The Chinese government issued a statement voicing surprise and condemning what it said was a irresponsible assault on a sovereign nation. During the Biden administration, the US offered comparable condemnations of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to mediate a ceasefire between those two nations – one that has frequently seemed to be leaning to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, voiced concern about the message Trump's actions might send. "My main worry is now Russia will use this to justify their unlawful and brutal operations against Ukraine, or China to rationalize an invasion of Taiwan." Political Criticism and Constitutional Questions Trump's Democratic opponents were more direct. "America should not be administering other countries for any purpose," said a senator who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee. "We should have understood by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and overthrow attempts that carry catastrophic results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a lawbreaker and a dictator with a record of human rights abuses. But he condemned Trump's choice not to inform congressional leaders before initiating the attack. "The President has the legal duty to abide by the law and uphold democratic norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" particulars of the operation before the attack. An Uncertain Future That military operation was a triumph – with zero American deaths and limited harm to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic bravado, portrayed the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and impressive displays of American power and proficiency in US history." Now he is staking his legacy on that success enduring, as the US says it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that truly entails remains unclear. He and his administration must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for decades while calming a region that is sure to be cautious of what Trump's international strategy has in store for them.