🔗 Share this article Venezuela Is Poised to Define President Trump's Political Legacy - and the United States' Role in the World Following launching a evening of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be entering the state-building business. In a remarkable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US military forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then announced that a team featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be taking control of the embattled nation. "We are going to manage the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and careful transition," he said. What precisely "running the country" actually means is uncertain, but the pledge signifies an abrupt policy reversal for the president, rife with inconsistencies and significant obstacles. A leader who campaigned against "endless conflicts", who sharply criticised past US attempts at overthrowing governments and who vowed to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now gambling his presidency on successfully reconstructing a South American nation whose economy is collapsed and whose governmental stability has been undermined by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was unwaveringly confident. He claimed his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this would be no exception. He promised to recruit American oil firms to repair Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, providing financing for the American rebuilding project and aiding the Venezuelan people. He declined to rule out deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to advance 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 intervention of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American planners of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." A Changed Global Approach The US has altered Venezuela's destiny – whether for good or ill. Trump came to power nearly a year ago promising to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is quite prepared to use armed force worldwide. In the past week, he ordered airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck nuclear facilities in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, militias in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. In contrast to past operations, which have largely involved missiles and warplanes that minimize the exposure of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his pledges to the future of that nation – are notably distinct. His goal, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Response at Home and Abroad That play on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - slogan could be tough for some of Trump's backers to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split from the president after charging him of deserting his core supporters, was quick to denounce the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's perpetual military aggression and backing for overseas conflicts is justified because we are forced to finance it," she stated. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. How mistaken we were." Another prominent Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on arms and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's reasoning that the operation was to retake confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "criminal regime" as "firm and legitimate". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He revived the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be without influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again." The goal of the new US security policy, he said, was to "safeguard trade, territory and resources that are central to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's choice to capture Maduro will provoke larger concerns in global politics, however, and affect American relations with the world's other major global powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement expressing shock and denouncing what it said was a reckless attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered comparable condemnations of Russia following its incursion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to mediate a peace deal between those two nations – one that has often seemed to be leaning to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, voiced worry about the signal Trump's actions might send. "My main concern is now Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric operations against Ukraine, or China to rationalize an invasion of Taiwan." Political Criticism and Constitutional Questions Trump's Democratic opponents were sharper. "The United States should not be running 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 endless wars and regime change missions that carry devastating results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's choice not to consult with legislative leaders before launching the attack. "The President has the legal duty 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, explained that he opted not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" particulars of the operation prior to the attack. A Path Forward Shrouded in Doubt That mission was a triumph – with no American deaths and minimal damage to US equipment. Trump, with his characteristic confidence, portrayed the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "among the most astonishing, effective and impressive displays of American military might and proficiency in American history." Now he is gambling his presidency on that success continuing, as the US claims it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that actually means remains unknown. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a region that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's international strategy has planned for them.
Following launching a evening of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be entering the state-building business. In a remarkable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief declared that US military forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an overnight raid in Caracas. Trump then announced that a team featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, working with Venezuelans, would be taking control of the embattled nation. "We are going to manage the country until such time as we can do a secure, orderly and careful transition," he said. What precisely "running the country" actually means is uncertain, but the pledge signifies an abrupt policy reversal for the president, rife with inconsistencies and significant obstacles. A leader who campaigned against "endless conflicts", who sharply criticised past US attempts at overthrowing governments and who vowed to implement an "America first" foreign policy is now gambling his presidency on successfully reconstructing a South American nation whose economy is collapsed and whose governmental stability has been undermined by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was unwaveringly confident. He claimed his administration has a "unblemished record of winning" – and that this would be no exception. He promised to recruit American oil firms to repair Venezuela's deteriorating industrial infrastructure, providing financing for the American rebuilding project and aiding the Venezuelan people. He declined to rule out deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to advance 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 intervention of Iraq, will now have to consider the words of one of the American planners of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you break it, you own it." A Changed Global Approach The US has altered Venezuela's destiny – whether for good or ill. Trump came to power nearly a year ago promising to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is quite prepared to use armed force worldwide. In the past week, he ordered airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck nuclear facilities in Iran, suspected narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, militias in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. In contrast to past operations, which have largely involved missiles and warplanes that minimize the exposure of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his pledges to the future of that nation – are notably distinct. His goal, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Response at Home and Abroad That play on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - slogan could be tough for some of Trump's backers to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who split from the president after charging him of deserting his core supporters, was quick to denounce the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's perpetual military aggression and backing for overseas conflicts is justified because we are forced to finance it," she stated. "This is what many in Maga thought they voted to end. How mistaken we were." Another prominent Trump detractor, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on arms and drug trafficking charges – with Trump's reasoning that the operation was to retake confiscated US oil and stop fentanyl production. Most Republican lawmakers supported the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "criminal regime" as "firm and legitimate". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president said the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He revived the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be without influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Trump Doctrine." The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again." The goal of the new US security policy, he said, was to "safeguard trade, territory and resources that are central to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "sphere of influence." Trump's choice to capture Maduro will provoke larger concerns in global politics, however, and affect American relations with the world's other major global powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement expressing shock and denouncing what it said was a reckless attack on a sovereign nation. During the previous administration, the US offered comparable condemnations of Russia following its incursion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to mediate a peace deal between those two nations – one that has often seemed to be leaning to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican congressman, voiced worry about the signal Trump's actions might send. "My main concern is now Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric operations against Ukraine, or China to rationalize an invasion of Taiwan." Political Criticism and Constitutional Questions Trump's Democratic opponents were sharper. "The United States should not be running 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 endless wars and regime change missions that carry devastating results for Americans." Another senior Democratic lawmaker stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a autocrat with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's choice not to consult with legislative leaders before launching the attack. "The President has the legal duty 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, explained that he opted not to inform Congress because he was worried they would "disclose" particulars of the operation prior to the attack. A Path Forward Shrouded in Doubt That mission was a triumph – with no American deaths and minimal damage to US equipment. Trump, with his characteristic confidence, portrayed the operation as a "spectacular assault" and "among the most astonishing, effective and impressive displays of American military might and proficiency in American history." Now he is gambling his presidency on that success continuing, as the US claims it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that actually means remains unknown. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a region that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's international strategy has planned for them.