๐ Share this article Venezuela Is Poised to Determine President Trump's Legacy - as well as America's Place in the Global Order Following launching a evening of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be getting into the nation-building business. In a notable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday morning, the president stated that US forces had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then announced that a group including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the troubled nation. "We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and judicious transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" entails is unclear, but the commitment represents an sudden change of course for the president, laden with inconsistencies and daunting challenges. A leader who ran on opposing "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at overthrowing governments and who vowed to implement an "America First" foreign policy is now gambling his presidency on effectively reconstructing a South American nation whose economic system is collapsed and whose political stability has been eroded by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was relentlessly upbeat. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" โ and that this will be no exception. He pledged to enlist American oil firms to rebuild Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, providing capital for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to progress these efforts. "We're not afraid of boots on the groundโฆwe had boots on the ground last night," he told reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." An Altered International Stance The US has reshaped Venezuela's future โ whether for good or ill. Trump came to power nearly a year ago pledging to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is more than willing to use armed force worldwide. In the past week, he authorized 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. Unlike previous actions, which have largely involved rockets and aircraft that reduce the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela operation โ and his commitments to the future of that nation โ are notably different. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness." Response at Home and Abroad That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" โ or Maga - slogan might prove difficult for some of Trump's supporters to swallow. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who broke with the president after charging him of deserting his core supporters, was swift to criticize the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's perpetual military aggression and support of overseas conflicts is understandable because we are forced to pay for it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Another prominent Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest โ on arms and drug trafficking charges โ with Trump's reasoning that the operation was to reclaim confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers stood by the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "criminal regime" as "decisive and justified". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" priorities because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine โ an early 19th Century American foreign policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers โ and renamed it the "Donroe Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US preeminence in the Western Hemisphere will not be questioned again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "protect trade, land and resources that are core to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's choice to apprehend Maduro will raise larger questions in global politics, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement voicing shock and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered comparable condemnations of Russia after its incursion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is attempting to mediate a ceasefire between those two nations โ one that has frequently seemed to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, expressed worry about the signal Trump's actions might send. "My main concern is now Russia will use this to excuse their illegal and barbaric operations against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were sharper. "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 endless wars and regime change missions that carry catastrophic results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a criminal and a dictator with a record of human rights abuses. But he censured Trump's choice not to inform congressional leaders before launching the attack. "Donald Trump has the legal duty to follow the law and protect democratic 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 concerned they would "leak" particulars of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That military operation was a triumph โ with no American deaths and minimal harm to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic bravado, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "among the most astonishing, successful and powerful demonstrations of American power and proficiency in American history." Now he is gambling his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US claims it will take over administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that actually means remains unclear. He and his team must rebuild a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is bound to be wary of what Trump's international strategy has planned for them.
Following launching a evening of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be getting into the nation-building business. In a notable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday morning, the president stated that US forces had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then announced that a group including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the troubled nation. "We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and judicious transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" entails is unclear, but the commitment represents an sudden change of course for the president, laden with inconsistencies and daunting challenges. A leader who ran on opposing "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at overthrowing governments and who vowed to implement an "America First" foreign policy is now gambling his presidency on effectively reconstructing a South American nation whose economic system is collapsed and whose political stability has been eroded by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was relentlessly upbeat. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" โ and that this will be no exception. He pledged to enlist American oil firms to rebuild Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, providing capital for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to progress these efforts. "We're not afraid of boots on the groundโฆwe had boots on the ground last night," he told reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." An Altered International Stance The US has reshaped Venezuela's future โ whether for good or ill. Trump came to power nearly a year ago pledging to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is more than willing to use armed force worldwide. In the past week, he authorized 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. Unlike previous actions, which have largely involved rockets and aircraft that reduce the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela operation โ and his commitments to the future of that nation โ are notably different. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness." Response at Home and Abroad That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" โ or Maga - slogan might prove difficult for some of Trump's supporters to swallow. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who broke with the president after charging him of deserting his core supporters, was swift to criticize the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's perpetual military aggression and support of overseas conflicts is understandable because we are forced to pay for it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Another prominent Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest โ on arms and drug trafficking charges โ with Trump's reasoning that the operation was to reclaim confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers stood by the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "criminal regime" as "decisive and justified". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" priorities because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine โ an early 19th Century American foreign policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers โ and renamed it the "Donroe Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US preeminence in the Western Hemisphere will not be questioned again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "protect trade, land and resources that are core to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's choice to apprehend Maduro will raise larger questions in global politics, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement voicing shock and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered comparable condemnations of Russia after its incursion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is attempting to mediate a ceasefire between those two nations โ one that has frequently seemed to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, expressed worry about the signal Trump's actions might send. "My main concern is now Russia will use this to excuse their illegal and barbaric operations against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were sharper. "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 endless wars and regime change missions that carry catastrophic results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a criminal and a dictator with a record of human rights abuses. But he censured Trump's choice not to inform congressional leaders before launching the attack. "Donald Trump has the legal duty to follow the law and protect democratic 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 concerned they would "leak" particulars of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That military operation was a triumph โ with no American deaths and minimal harm to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic bravado, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "among the most astonishing, successful and powerful demonstrations of American power and proficiency in American history." Now he is gambling his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US claims it will take over administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that actually means remains unclear. He and his team must rebuild a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is bound to be wary of what Trump's international strategy has planned for them.