🔗 Share this article Venezuela Is Poised to Determine President Trump's Legacy - and America's Position in the Global Order Following executing a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be getting into the state-building business. In a striking press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US military forces had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then indicated that a group comprising Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be taking control of the beleaguered nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a secure, proper and judicious transition," he said. What precisely "managing the nation" involves is ambiguous, but the commitment represents an sudden change of course for the president, rife with inconsistencies and formidable challenges. A president who campaigned against "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US attempts at regime change and who vowed to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now staking his administration on effectively revitalizing a South American nation whose economy is collapsed and whose political stability has been eroded by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was persistently confident. He said his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this would be no exception. He promised to enlist American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's deteriorating production infrastructure, providing funds for the American rebuilding project and aiding the Venezuelan people. He left open the possibility of sending 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 informed reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US invasion of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "You break it, you bought it." A Shift in Foreign Policy The US has reshaped Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump entered office nearly a year ago pledging to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is quite prepared to use armed force internationally. In the past week, he ordered 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. Unlike previous operations, which have mostly involved rockets and aircraft that minimize the risk of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are strikingly distinct. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Reactions from Allies and Critics That twist on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra might prove hard for some of Trump's backers to accept. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist who split from the president after charging him of deserting his political base, was swift to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's never ending use of force and backing for foreign wars is justified because we are compelled to finance it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Another notable Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, compared the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on arms and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to reclaim confiscated US oil and halt fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers rallied behind the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "criminal regime" as "firm and warranted". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" agenda because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He revived the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American diplomatic policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Donroe 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 security policy, he said, was to "safeguard trade, territory and resources that are central to our national security." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's decision to capture Maduro will provoke broader questions in global politics, however, and affect American ties with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement voicing shock and condemning what it said was a irresponsible attack on a independent country. 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 peace deal between those two nations – one that has frequently seemed 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 worry is now Russia will use this to justify their unlawful and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic opponents 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 learned by now not to get involved in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry devastating consequences for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a criminal and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's decision not to inform legislative leaders before initiating the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and protect democratic norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First demands." Trump, in his press conference, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" details of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American casualties and minimal damage to US equipment. Trump, with his typical confidence, portrayed the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and impressive displays of American power and proficiency in US history." Now he is gambling his legacy on that success continuing, as the US claims it will take over running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that truly entails is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is bound to be apprehensive of what Trump's foreign policy has planned for them.
Following executing a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be getting into the state-building business. In a striking press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US military forces had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then indicated that a group comprising Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be taking control of the beleaguered nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a secure, proper and judicious transition," he said. What precisely "managing the nation" involves is ambiguous, but the commitment represents an sudden change of course for the president, rife with inconsistencies and formidable challenges. A president who campaigned against "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US attempts at regime change and who vowed to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now staking his administration on effectively revitalizing a South American nation whose economy is collapsed and whose political stability has been eroded by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was persistently confident. He said his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this would be no exception. He promised to enlist American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's deteriorating production infrastructure, providing funds for the American rebuilding project and aiding the Venezuelan people. He left open the possibility of sending 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 informed reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US invasion of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "You break it, you bought it." A Shift in Foreign Policy The US has reshaped Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump entered office nearly a year ago pledging to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is quite prepared to use armed force internationally. In the past week, he ordered 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. Unlike previous operations, which have mostly involved rockets and aircraft that minimize the risk of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are strikingly distinct. His aim, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Reactions from Allies and Critics That twist on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra might prove hard for some of Trump's backers to accept. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist who split from the president after charging him of deserting his political base, was swift to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's never ending use of force and backing for foreign wars is justified because we are compelled to finance it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Another notable Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, compared the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on arms and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to reclaim confiscated US oil and halt fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers rallied behind the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "criminal regime" as "firm and warranted". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" agenda because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He revived the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American diplomatic policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Donroe 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 security policy, he said, was to "safeguard trade, territory and resources that are central to our national security." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's decision to capture Maduro will provoke broader questions in global politics, however, and affect American ties with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement voicing shock and condemning what it said was a irresponsible attack on a independent country. 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 peace deal between those two nations – one that has frequently seemed 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 worry is now Russia will use this to justify their unlawful and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic opponents 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 learned by now not to get involved in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry devastating consequences for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a criminal and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's decision not to inform legislative leaders before initiating the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and protect democratic norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First demands." Trump, in his press conference, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" details of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American casualties and minimal damage to US equipment. Trump, with his typical confidence, portrayed the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and impressive displays of American power and proficiency in US history." Now he is gambling his legacy on that success continuing, as the US claims it will take over running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that truly entails is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is bound to be apprehensive of what Trump's foreign policy has planned for them.