🔗 Share this article The Venezuelan Crisis Is Poised to Shape President Trump's Political Legacy - as well as America's Position in the Global Order Following launching a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building business. In a notable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the president announced that US military forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then indicated that a team including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be taking control of the troubled nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and careful transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" actually means is uncertain, but the vow marks an abrupt change of course for the president, rife with contradictions and formidable challenges. A president who campaigned against "endless conflicts", who vehemently denounced past US attempts at overthrowing governments and who vowed to implement an "America First" foreign policy is now betting his presidency on effectively reconstructing a South American nation whose economic system is collapsed and whose political stability has been undermined by decades of dictatorship. Yet, Trump was persistently upbeat. He said his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this would be no different. He promised to recruit American oil firms to rebuild Venezuela's crumbling production infrastructure, supplying capital for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude 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 told reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US invasion of Iraq, will now have to remember 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 reshaped Venezuela's prospects – for better or worse. Trump came to power nearly a year ago promising to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force worldwide. In the past week, he ordered air strikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted atomic sites in Iran, alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. Unlike previous actions, which have mostly involved rockets and warplanes that reduce the risk of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are strikingly distinct. His objective, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Domestic and International Reaction That play on Trump's "MAGA" – or Maga - mantra could be tough for some of Trump's backers to swallow. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a one-time Trump loyalist who split from the president after accusing him of abandoning his core supporters, was swift to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's perpetual use of force 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. How mistaken we were." Another notable 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 stood by the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "illegitimate government" as "decisive and warranted". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it ensured US regional 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 without 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 not be challenged again." The purpose of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, territory and assets that are core to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "backyard." Trump's decision to apprehend Maduro will raise larger concerns in international relations, however, and impact American relations with the world's other significant military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement expressing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible assault on a independent country. During the previous administration, the US offered comparable condemnations 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 precedent Trump's actions might send. "My main worry is now Russia will use this to excuse their unlawful and barbaric operations against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were blunter. "The United States should not be running other countries for any reason," said a senator who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee. "We should have learned 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 autocrat with a record of human rights abuses. But he censured Trump's decision not to inform legislative leaders prior to initiating the attack. "The President has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and uphold institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what placing America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, said that he opted not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" details of the operation prior to the attack. A Path Forward Shrouded in Doubt That military operation was a triumph – with no American deaths and minimal damage to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic confidence, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "among the most astonishing, successful and impressive demonstrations of American power and proficiency in American history." Now he is gambling his presidency on that victory enduring, as the US claims it will take over administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that actually means is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in chaos for years while calming a hemisphere that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's foreign policy has in store for them.
Following launching a night of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building business. In a notable media briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the president announced that US military forces had successfully apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas. Trump then indicated that a team including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be taking control of the troubled nation. "We are going to administer the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and careful transition," he said. What exactly "governing the state" actually means is uncertain, but the vow marks an abrupt change of course for the president, rife with contradictions and formidable challenges. A president who campaigned against "endless conflicts", who vehemently denounced past US attempts at overthrowing governments and who vowed to implement an "America First" foreign policy is now betting his presidency on effectively reconstructing a South American nation whose economic system is collapsed and whose political stability has been undermined by decades of dictatorship. Yet, Trump was persistently upbeat. He said his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this would be no different. He promised to recruit American oil firms to rebuild Venezuela's crumbling production infrastructure, supplying capital for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people. He did not exclude 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 told reporters. Trump, a vocal opponent of the US invasion of Iraq, will now have to remember 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 reshaped Venezuela's prospects – for better or worse. Trump came to power nearly a year ago promising to be a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is ready to use military force worldwide. In the past week, he ordered air strikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he targeted atomic sites in Iran, alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, rebel forces in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and jihadist fighters in Iraq. Unlike previous actions, which have mostly involved rockets and warplanes that reduce the risk of American forces to danger, Trump's Venezuela strike – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are strikingly distinct. His objective, he said during his briefing, is to "make Venezuela great again." Domestic and International Reaction That play on Trump's "MAGA" – or Maga - mantra could be tough for some of Trump's backers to swallow. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a one-time Trump loyalist who split from the president after accusing him of abandoning his core supporters, was swift to condemn the president's actions on social media. "Americans' disgust with our own government's perpetual use of force 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. How mistaken we were." Another notable 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 stood by the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson characterizing the armed intervention against a "illegitimate government" as "decisive and warranted". Strategic Justifications and Global Implications During his appearance, the president argued the Venezuelan operation advanced his "America First" priorities because it ensured US regional 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 without 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 not be challenged again." The purpose of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard commerce, territory and assets that are core to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "backyard." Trump's decision to apprehend Maduro will raise larger concerns in international relations, however, and impact American relations with the world's other significant military powers. The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement expressing surprise and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible assault on a independent country. During the previous administration, the US offered comparable condemnations 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 precedent Trump's actions might send. "My main worry is now Russia will use this to excuse their unlawful and barbaric operations against Ukraine, or China to justify an attack of Taiwan." Opposition and Legal Scrutiny Trump's Democratic critics were blunter. "The United States should not be running other countries for any reason," said a senator who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee. "We should have learned 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 autocrat with a record of human rights abuses. But he censured Trump's decision not to inform legislative leaders prior to initiating the attack. "The President has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and uphold institutional norms in the United States," he said. "That is what placing America First requires." Trump, in his remarks, said that he opted not to inform Congress because he was concerned they would "leak" details of the operation prior to the attack. A Path Forward Shrouded in Doubt That military operation was a triumph – with no American deaths and minimal damage to US assets. Trump, with his characteristic confidence, described the operation as a "daring raid" and "among the most astonishing, successful and impressive demonstrations of American power and proficiency in American history." Now he is gambling his presidency on that victory enduring, as the US claims it will take over administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that actually means is unclear. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in chaos for years while calming a hemisphere that is sure to be apprehensive of what Trump's foreign policy has in store for them.