🔗 Share this article Venezuela Is Poised to Determine President Trump's Legacy - as well as America's Place in the World In the wake of executing a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be entering the nation-building business. In a remarkable press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief stated that US military forces had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then announced that a team including 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, proper and judicious transition," he said. What exactly "managing the nation" actually means is ambiguous, but the pledge marks an abrupt change of course for the president, laden with inconsistencies and formidable challenges. A president who ran on opposing "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at overthrowing governments and who promised to implement an "America First" foreign policy is now staking his administration on successfully reconstructing a South American nation whose economy is in shambles and whose political stability has been undermined by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was persistently confident. He stated his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this will be no different. He promised to enlist American energy companies to repair Venezuela's crumbling production infrastructure, providing financing for the American reconstruction efforts and aiding the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude deploying 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 informed reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to heed the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you shatter it, you are responsible for it." An Altered International Stance The US has altered Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump entered office nearly a year ago pledging to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force around the globe. In the past week, he ordered airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck nuclear facilities in Iran, alleged narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and Islamic militants in Iraq. In contrast to previous actions, which have mostly involved rockets and warplanes that minimize the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his commitments to the fate of that nation – are notably distinct. His objective, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Response at Home and Abroad That twist on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra may be hard for some of Trump's followers to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist who broke with the president after charging him of abandoning his core supporters, was quick to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's endless use of force and backing for overseas conflicts is understandable because we are compelled to pay for 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 legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on weapons and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to reclaim 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 "decisive and justified". Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Donroe Doctrine." The action 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 "protect trade, land and assets that are core to our security interests." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's decision to capture Maduro will raise broader questions in global politics, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major global powers. The Chinese foreign ministry released a statement voicing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible 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 peace deal between those two nations – one that has often appeared to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, expressed concern about the message 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 invasion of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were blunter. "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 stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's choice not to consult with congressional leaders prior to initiating the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and uphold institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" details of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American casualties and limited harm to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic bravado, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and impressive displays of American military might and competency in US history." Now he is betting his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US says it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that actually means is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a region that is sure to be wary of what Trump's foreign policy has in store for them.
In the wake of executing a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump now appears to be entering the nation-building business. In a remarkable press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the commander-in-chief stated that US military forces had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then announced that a team including 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, proper and judicious transition," he said. What exactly "managing the nation" actually means is ambiguous, but the pledge marks an abrupt change of course for the president, laden with inconsistencies and formidable challenges. A president who ran on opposing "forever wars", who vehemently denounced past US efforts at overthrowing governments and who promised to implement an "America First" foreign policy is now staking his administration on successfully reconstructing a South American nation whose economy is in shambles and whose political stability has been undermined by years of authoritarian rule. Yet, Trump was persistently confident. He stated his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this will be no different. He promised to enlist American energy companies to repair Venezuela's crumbling production infrastructure, providing financing for the American reconstruction efforts and aiding the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude deploying 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 informed reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US intervention of Iraq, will now have to heed the words of one of the American architects of the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell: "If you shatter it, you are responsible for it." An Altered International Stance The US has altered Venezuela's destiny – for better or worse. Trump entered office nearly a year ago pledging to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force around the globe. In the past week, he ordered airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck nuclear facilities in Iran, alleged narco-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and Islamic militants in Iraq. In contrast to previous actions, which have mostly involved rockets and warplanes that minimize the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his commitments to the fate of that nation – are notably distinct. His objective, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Response at Home and Abroad That twist on Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra may be hard for some of Trump's followers to digest. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump loyalist who broke with the president after charging him of abandoning his core supporters, was quick to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's endless use of force and backing for overseas conflicts is understandable because we are compelled to pay for 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 legal justification for Maduro's arrest – on weapons and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's explanation that the operation was to reclaim 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 "decisive and justified". Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it guaranteed US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil. He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an nineteenth-century American foreign policy that asserted the Western Hemisphere should be free from influence by European powers – and renamed it the "Donroe Doctrine." The action 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 "protect trade, land and assets that are core to our security interests." He branded the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region." Trump's decision to capture Maduro will raise broader questions in global politics, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major global powers. The Chinese foreign ministry released a statement voicing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible 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 peace deal between those two nations – one that has often appeared to be more favourable to the Russian side. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, expressed concern about the message 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 invasion of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were blunter. "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 stated Maduro is a lawbreaker and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he censured Trump's choice not to consult with congressional leaders prior to initiating the attack. "Donald Trump has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and uphold institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what putting America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, explained that he chose not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" details of the operation prior to the attack. An Uncertain Future That mission was a success – with no American casualties and limited harm to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic bravado, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "one of the most astonishing, successful and impressive displays of American military might and competency in US history." Now he is betting his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US says it will assume responsibility for running and rebuilding Venezuela - though what that actually means is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a region that is sure to be wary of what Trump's foreign policy has in store for them.