🔗 Share this article Venezuela May Now Shape President Trump's Political Legacy - as well as the United States' Role in the Global Order Following launching a evening of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be entering the nation-building business. In a remarkable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief stated that US military forces had successfully seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation 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 assuming control of the embattled nation. "We are going to manage the country until such time as we can do a safe, orderly and careful transition," he said. What exactly "running the country" entails is uncertain, but the pledge represents an sudden shift in direction for the president, laden with contradictions and significant challenges. A president who ran on opposing "endless conflicts", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now gambling his presidency on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economy is collapsed and whose governmental stability has been eroded by decades of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was unwaveringly upbeat. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this will be no exception. He pledged to enlist American oil firms to rebuild Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, providing 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 vocal opponent 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 shatter it, you are responsible for it." A Shift in Foreign Policy The US has reshaped Venezuela's prospects – for better or worse. Trump came to power nearly a year ago promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force worldwide. In the past week, he authorized air strikes 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 jihadist fighters in Iraq. In contrast to past actions, which have largely involved rockets and aircraft that reduce the exposure of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his commitments to the future of that nation – are markedly different. His goal, he said during his press conference, is to "make Venezuela great again." Response at Home and Abroad That play on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra might prove difficult for some of Trump's supporters to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split from the president after charging him of deserting his core supporters, was swift to denounce the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's endless military aggression and support of overseas conflicts is understandable because we are compelled to fund 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 cocaine trafficking charges – 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 characterizing the military action against a "illegitimate government" as "firm and warranted". 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 reliable source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American foreign policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US preeminence in the Western Hemisphere will never be challenged again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, territory and assets that are core to our national security." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's choice to apprehend Maduro will raise larger questions in global politics, however, and impact American ties with the world's other significant global powers. The Chinese government released a statement expressing surprise and condemning what it said was a reckless attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered similar condemnations of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is attempting to broker a ceasefire between those two nations – one that has frequently seemed to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, voiced worry about the message Trump's actions might send. "My primary worry is now Russia will use this to excuse their unlawful and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic opponents were more direct. "The United States should not be managing other countries for any purpose," 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 regime change missions that carry devastating results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a lawbreaker and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's decision not to consult with legislative leaders prior to launching the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility to abide by the law and protect institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, said that he opted not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" particulars of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American casualties and minimal damage to US assets. Trump, with his typical confidence, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and powerful displays of American power and competency in US history." Now he is betting his legacy on that success 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 strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while calming a hemisphere that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's international strategy has in store for them.
Following launching a evening of overwhelming force in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be entering the nation-building business. In a remarkable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief stated that US military forces had successfully seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation 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 assuming control of the embattled nation. "We are going to manage the country until such time as we can do a safe, orderly and careful transition," he said. What exactly "running the country" entails is uncertain, but the pledge represents an sudden shift in direction for the president, laden with contradictions and significant challenges. A president who ran on opposing "endless conflicts", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now gambling his presidency on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economy is collapsed and whose governmental stability has been eroded by decades of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was unwaveringly upbeat. He said his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this will be no exception. He pledged to enlist American oil firms to rebuild Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, providing 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 vocal opponent 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 shatter it, you are responsible for it." A Shift in Foreign Policy The US has reshaped Venezuela's prospects – for better or worse. Trump came to power nearly a year ago promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force worldwide. In the past week, he authorized air strikes 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 jihadist fighters in Iraq. In contrast to past actions, which have largely involved rockets and aircraft that reduce the exposure of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his commitments to the future of that nation – are markedly different. His goal, he said during his press conference, is to "make Venezuela great again." Response at Home and Abroad That play on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra might prove difficult for some of Trump's supporters to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split from the president after charging him of deserting his core supporters, was swift to denounce the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's endless military aggression and support of overseas conflicts is understandable because we are compelled to fund 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 cocaine trafficking charges – 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 characterizing the military action against a "illegitimate government" as "firm and warranted". 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 reliable source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American foreign policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US preeminence in the Western Hemisphere will never be challenged again." The goal of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, territory and assets that are core to our national security." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's choice to apprehend Maduro will raise larger questions in global politics, however, and impact American ties with the world's other significant global powers. The Chinese government released a statement expressing surprise and condemning what it said was a reckless attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered similar condemnations of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is attempting to broker a ceasefire between those two nations – one that has frequently seemed to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, voiced worry about the message Trump's actions might send. "My primary worry is now Russia will use this to excuse their unlawful and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic opponents were more direct. "The United States should not be managing other countries for any purpose," 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 regime change missions that carry devastating results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a lawbreaker and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's decision not to consult with legislative leaders prior to launching the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility to abide by the law and protect institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, said that he opted not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" particulars of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American casualties and minimal damage to US assets. Trump, with his typical confidence, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and powerful displays of American power and competency in US history." Now he is betting his legacy on that success 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 strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while calming a hemisphere that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's international strategy has in store for them.