🔗 Share this article Venezuela Could Now Determine Trump's Political Legacy - and America's Place in the Global Order In the wake of executing a night of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building business. In a striking media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then said that a group including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be seizing the reins of the embattled nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and careful transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" actually means is ambiguous, but the commitment represents an sudden change of course for the president, full of inconsistencies and formidable obstacles. A leader who campaigned against "endless conflicts", who sharply criticised past US attempts at overthrowing governments and who promised to implement an "America first" international policy is now gambling his administration on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economic system is in shambles and whose political stability has been undermined by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was relentlessly optimistic. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this will be no different. He vowed to enlist American oil firms to repair Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, providing funds for the American reconstruction efforts and aiding the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude sending American soldiers to Venezuela to advance these efforts. "We do not fear boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he told reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US invasion 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 reshaped Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump took office nearly a year ago promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has proven that he is more than willing to use armed force around the globe. In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted atomic sites in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. Unlike past actions, which have largely involved rockets and warplanes that minimize the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his commitments to the future of that nation – are strikingly distinct. His goal, he said during his briefing, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness." Response at Home and Abroad That play on Trump's "MAGA" – or Maga - slogan may be tough for some of Trump's followers to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who broke with the president after accusing him of abandoning his political base, was quick to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's never ending use of force and backing for overseas conflicts is understandable because we are forced to finance it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Another notable Trump critic, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on arms and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to retake confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. The majority of Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "illegitimate government" as "firm and warranted". Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" agenda because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He resurrected the Monroe Doctrine – an early 19th Century American diplomatic policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from 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 never be questioned again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "protect trade, land and resources that are central to our national security." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's decision to apprehend Maduro will raise broader questions in international relations, however, and affect American ties with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement expressing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered similar censures of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is attempting to broker a ceasefire between those two nations – one that has frequently appeared to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, voiced worry about the message Trump's actions might send. "My main worry is now Russia will use this to justify their illegal and brutal military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan." Political Criticism and Constitutional Questions Trump's Democratic opponents 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 understood by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry devastating consequences for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's choice not to consult with congressional leaders before initiating the attack. "The President has the constitutional responsibility 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 press conference, said that he chose not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "disclose" details of the operation prior to the attack. A Path Forward Shrouded in Doubt That military operation was a success – with no American deaths and limited damage to US equipment. Trump, with his typical confidence, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, effective and impressive displays of American power and competency in American history." Now he is staking his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US says it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that truly entails is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in chaos for decades while stabilising a hemisphere that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's foreign policy has in store for them.
In the wake of executing a night of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building business. In a striking media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then said that a group including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be seizing the reins of the embattled nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and careful transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" actually means is ambiguous, but the commitment represents an sudden change of course for the president, full of inconsistencies and formidable obstacles. A leader who campaigned against "endless conflicts", who sharply criticised past US attempts at overthrowing governments and who promised to implement an "America first" international policy is now gambling his administration on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economic system is in shambles and whose political stability has been undermined by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was relentlessly optimistic. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this will be no different. He vowed to enlist American oil firms to repair Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, providing funds for the American reconstruction efforts and aiding the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude sending American soldiers to Venezuela to advance these efforts. "We do not fear boots on the ground…we had boots on the ground last night," he told reporters. Trump, a sharp critic of the US invasion 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 reshaped Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump took office nearly a year ago promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has proven that he is more than willing to use armed force around the globe. In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted atomic sites in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. Unlike past actions, which have largely involved rockets and warplanes that minimize the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his commitments to the future of that nation – are strikingly distinct. His goal, he said during his briefing, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness." Response at Home and Abroad That play on Trump's "MAGA" – or Maga - slogan may be tough for some of Trump's followers to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who broke with the president after accusing him of abandoning his political base, was quick to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Public outrage with our own government's never ending use of force and backing for overseas conflicts is understandable because we are forced to finance it," she wrote. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. Boy were we wrong." Another notable Trump critic, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on arms and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to retake confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. The majority of Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "illegitimate government" as "firm and warranted". Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" agenda because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a steady source of oil. He resurrected the Monroe Doctrine – an early 19th Century American diplomatic policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from 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 never be questioned again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "protect trade, land and resources that are central to our national security." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's decision to apprehend Maduro will raise broader questions in international relations, however, and affect American ties with the world's other major military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement expressing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered similar censures of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is attempting to broker a ceasefire between those two nations – one that has frequently appeared to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, voiced worry about the message Trump's actions might send. "My main worry is now Russia will use this to justify their illegal and brutal military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan." Political Criticism and Constitutional Questions Trump's Democratic opponents 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 understood by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry devastating consequences for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's choice not to consult with congressional leaders before initiating the attack. "The President has the constitutional responsibility 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 press conference, said that he chose not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "disclose" details of the operation prior to the attack. A Path Forward Shrouded in Doubt That military operation was a success – with no American deaths and limited damage to US equipment. Trump, with his typical confidence, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, effective and impressive displays of American power and competency in American history." Now he is staking his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US says it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that truly entails is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in chaos for decades while stabilising a hemisphere that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's foreign policy has in store for them.