In the wake of launching a evening of shock and awe in Venezuela, Donald Trump seems to be entering the state-building arena.
In a remarkable press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday morning, the president announced that US military forces had effectively apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in an late-night operation in Caracas.
Trump then announced that a team comprising Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, collaborating with Venezuelans, would be assuming control of the beleaguered nation.
"We are going to manage the country until such time as we can do a safe, orderly and judicious transition," he said.
What exactly "governing the state" actually means is unclear, but the vow marks an dramatic policy reversal for the president, rife with inconsistencies and daunting challenges.
A leader who ran on opposing "forever wars", who sharply criticised past US efforts at regime change and who promised to implement an "America first" international policy is now betting his presidency on successfully revitalizing a South American nation whose economy is in ruins and whose political stability has been undermined by decades of authoritarian rule.
Yet, Trump was relentlessly optimistic.
He said his administration has a "perfect track record of winning" – and that this will be no exception. He vowed to recruit American oil firms to overhaul Venezuela's crumbling industrial infrastructure, supplying capital for the American rebuilding project and benefitting the Venezuelan people.
He did not exclude deploying American soldiers to Venezuela to progress 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 invasion 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 promising to be a diplomat, but over the past year he has proven that he is quite prepared to use military force worldwide.
In the past week, he authorized airstrikes on Syria and Nigeria. In 2025, he struck atomic sites in Iran, suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, insurgent groups in Yemen, armed groups in Somalia and Islamic militants in Iraq.
Unlike past operations, which have mostly involved rockets and aircraft that minimize the risk of American forces to harm, Trump's Venezuela operation – and his pledges to the fate of that nation – are markedly distinct.
His objective, he said during his press conference, is to "restore Venezuela's greatness."
Domestic and International Reaction
That variation of Trump's "Make America Great Again" – or Maga - mantra could be hard for some of Trump's backers to swallow.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a one-time Trump ally who split from the president after accusing him of abandoning his core supporters, was swift to condemn the president's actions on social media.
"Public outrage with our own government's never ending use of force and support of foreign wars is understandable 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 critic, Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, contrasted the official rationale for Maduro's arrest – on weapons and cocaine trafficking charges – with Trump's reasoning that the operation was to retake seized US oil and halt fentanyl production.
The majority of Republican lawmakers stood by the president, with House Speaker Mike Johnson describing the military action against a "criminal regime" as "firm and legitimate".
Policy Rationales and Worldwide Consequences
During his press conference, the president argued the Venezuelan operation furthered his "America First" agenda because it ensured US hemispheric security and provided a reliable source of oil.
He dusted off the Monroe Doctrine – an early 19th Century American diplomatic policy that declared the Western Hemisphere should be without influence by European powers – and rebranded it the "Donroe Doctrine."
The move in Venezuela, Trump said, shows that "US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere will never be challenged again."
The purpose of the new US national security strategy, he said, was to "safeguard trade, land and assets that are core to our security interests." He labeled the Western Hemisphere as America's "home region."
Trump's decision to capture Maduro will provoke broader concerns in international relations, however, and impact American relations with the world's other major global powers.
The Chinese foreign ministry released a statement expressing shock and denouncing what it said was a irresponsible attack on a sovereign nation.
During the Biden administration, the US offered similar condemnations of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Now the Trump administration is trying to broker a peace deal between those two nations – one that has frequently appeared to be leaning to the Russian side.
Don Bacon, a moderate Republican congressman, expressed worry about the precedent Trump's actions might send.
"My primary worry is now Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan."
Opposition and Legal Scrutiny
Trump's Democratic critics were more direct.
"America should not be running other countries for any purpose," said a senator who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations committee. "We should have learned by now not to get entangled in perpetual conflicts and regime change missions that carry devastating results for Americans."
Another senior Democratic lawmaker said Maduro is a criminal and a dictator with a record of rights violations. But he condemned Trump's choice not to consult with legislative leaders prior to launching the attack.
"Donald Trump has the legal duty to follow the law and uphold democratic 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 mission was a success – with zero American deaths and minimal harm 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 power and competency in US history."
Now he is betting his legacy on that victory enduring, as the US claims it will assume responsibility for administering and reconstructing Venezuela - though what that actually means is unknown. He and his team must strengthen a nation that has been in turmoil for years while stabilising a hemisphere that is bound to be wary of what Trump's international strategy has planned for them.
