🔗 Share this article Venezuela Could Now Shape Trump's Legacy - as well as America's Place in the World In the wake of executing a evening of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building business. In a remarkable news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the president declared that US military forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then announced that a group comprising Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be seizing the reins of the troubled nation. "We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and careful transition," he said. What exactly "managing the nation" involves is ambiguous, but the commitment marks an abrupt policy reversal for the president, full of inconsistencies and significant obstacles. A leader who campaigned against "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" international policy is now staking his administration on successfully rebuilding a South American nation whose economy is in ruins and whose political stability has been eroded by years of dictatorship. Yet, Trump was relentlessly confident. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this would be no different. He pledged to recruit American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, supplying funds for the American reconstruction efforts and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He left open the possibility of deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to progress these efforts. "We're not afraid of boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he told reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to heed the words of one of the American planners of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." An Altered International Stance The US has altered Venezuela's future – for better or worse. Trump took office nearly a year ago pledging to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has demonstrated that he is quite prepared to use armed force worldwide. In the past week, he ordered airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted nuclear facilities in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, insurgent groups in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and Islamic militants in Iraq. In contrast to previous actions, which have largely involved missiles and aircraft that reduce the exposure of American forces to harm, 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 "make Venezuela great again." Domestic and International Reaction That variation of Trump's "MAGA" – or Maga - mantra may be tough for some of Trump's supporters to accept. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split from the president after charging him of deserting his political base, was swift to criticize the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's endless military aggression and backing for overseas conflicts is understandable 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, compared the legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on weapons and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to retake seized US oil and halt fentanyl production. The majority of Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "illegitimate government" as "decisive and legitimate". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" agenda because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American diplomatic policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be without influence by European powers – and rebranded it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will not be challenged again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "protect commerce, land and resources that are fundamental to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's decision to apprehend Maduro will provoke broader questions in international relations, however, and impact American ties with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese government issued a statement voicing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible assault on a sovereign nation. During the Biden administration, the US offered similar censures 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 appeared to be leaning to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, voiced concern about the message Trump's actions might send. "My primary concern is now Russia will use this to excuse their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were more direct. "The United States should not be running other countries for any reason," said a senator who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations committee. "We should have understood by now not to get involved in perpetual conflicts and overthrow attempts that carry catastrophic results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's choice not to inform legislative leaders before initiating the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility 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, said that he chose not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" details of the operation before the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American deaths and limited harm to US equipment. Trump, with his typical bravado, portrayed the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competency in US history." Now he is betting his legacy on that success continuing, as the US says it will assume responsibility for administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that truly entails remains unknown. He and his administration must strengthen a nation that has been in chaos for years while stabilising a region that is sure to be cautious of what Trump's foreign policy has planned for them.
In the wake of executing a evening of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building business. In a remarkable news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the president declared that US military forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then announced that a group comprising Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be seizing the reins of the troubled nation. "We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and careful transition," he said. What exactly "managing the nation" involves is ambiguous, but the commitment marks an abrupt policy reversal for the president, full of inconsistencies and significant obstacles. A leader who campaigned against "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" international policy is now staking his administration on successfully rebuilding a South American nation whose economy is in ruins and whose political stability has been eroded by years of dictatorship. Yet, Trump was relentlessly confident. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this would be no different. He pledged to recruit American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, supplying funds for the American reconstruction efforts and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He left open the possibility of deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to progress these efforts. "We're not afraid of boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he told reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to heed the words of one of the American planners of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." An Altered International Stance The US has altered Venezuela's future – for better or worse. Trump took office nearly a year ago pledging to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has demonstrated that he is quite prepared to use armed force worldwide. In the past week, he ordered airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted nuclear facilities in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, insurgent groups in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and Islamic militants in Iraq. In contrast to previous actions, which have largely involved missiles and aircraft that reduce the exposure of American forces to harm, 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 "make Venezuela great again." Domestic and International Reaction That variation of Trump's "MAGA" – or Maga - mantra may be tough for some of Trump's supporters to accept. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split from the president after charging him of deserting his political base, was swift to criticize the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's endless military aggression and backing for overseas conflicts is understandable 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, compared the legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on weapons and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to retake seized US oil and halt fentanyl production. The majority of Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "illegitimate government" as "decisive and legitimate". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" agenda because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American diplomatic policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be without influence by European powers – and rebranded it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will not be challenged again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "protect commerce, land and resources that are fundamental to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's decision to apprehend Maduro will provoke broader questions in international relations, however, and impact American ties with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese government issued a statement voicing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible assault on a sovereign nation. During the Biden administration, the US offered similar censures 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 appeared to be leaning to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, voiced concern about the message Trump's actions might send. "My primary concern is now Russia will use this to excuse their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were more direct. "The United States should not be running other countries for any reason," said a senator who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations committee. "We should have understood by now not to get involved in perpetual conflicts and overthrow attempts that carry catastrophic results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's choice not to inform legislative leaders before initiating the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility 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, said that he chose not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" details of the operation before the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American deaths and limited harm to US equipment. Trump, with his typical bravado, portrayed the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competency in US history." Now he is betting his legacy on that success continuing, as the US says it will assume responsibility for administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that truly entails remains unknown. He and his administration must strengthen a nation that has been in chaos for years while stabilising a region that is sure to be cautious of what Trump's foreign policy has planned for them.