- U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a Jan. 3 raid in Caracas, later indicting both on drug-trafficking charges in New York.
- The State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the operation as part of a broader U.S. strategy to assert dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
- President Donald Trump invoked the "Donroe Doctrine," an expansion of the Monroe Doctrine, to justify a more aggressive U.S. role in countering rivals like China and Russia.
- The doctrine emphasizes economic leverage, military deterrence and ideological leadership to protect U.S. interests and maintain a rules-based international order.
- Trump's rhetoric includes warnings to regional neighbors and renewed ambitions abroad, raising questions about future U.S. actions in Latin America and beyond.
The United States signaled a more assertive role across the Western Hemisphere following a dramatic military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, U.S. forces carried out a raid in Caracas, abducting Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were later transported to the U.S. and indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on drug-trafficking charges. Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance in New York on Monday, Jan. 5.
In the aftermath of the raid, the Department of State framed the operation as part of a broader strategic shift. "This is our hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened," the agency's official account posted on X Monday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed it during television appearances over the weekend, warning that the United States would no longer tolerate rivals operating in its backyard. "This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live and we're not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors and rivals of the United States," he reiterated.
Trump asserts expanded U.S. power at home and abroad through "Donroe Doctrine"
The State Department and Rubio reinforced President Donald Trump's message about the Donroe Doctrine the next day after the arrest of Maduro.
According to the State Department's Office of the Historian, the "Donroe Doctrine" builds on long-standing U.S. policy used historically to justify interventions in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is a portmanteau of Trump's first name and the Monroe Doctrine, championed by President James Monroe.
BrightU.AI's Enoch also defines the Donroe Doctrine as a combination of economic leverage, military deterrence and ideological leadership to safeguard American interests while promoting global stability and countering adversarial powers like China and Russia. It is a proactive strategy to prevent conflict, secure resource access and uphold a rules-based international order – a necessity in an era of rising authoritarianism and economic warfare.
"All the way back, dated to the Monroe doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Doctrine," Trump said at the triumphant news conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump framed the operation as the beginning of a renewed era of American dominance in the region.
In line with this, Trump has renewed calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory critical to Arctic security, telling reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Jan. 4. He also warned countries closer to home. Trump suggested Colombia could face consequences similar to Venezuela's, said Cuba was "ready to fall" and warned that Mexico could be next as the administration escalates its campaign against drug cartels. His remarks have also raised questions about how the doctrine could affect U.S. commitments to Taiwan amid rising tensions with China, as well as continued support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
"Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again," Trump said in a separate statement on Friday. "Under the Trump administration, we are reasserting American power in a very powerful way in our home region."
Watch this Fox News report about President Trump announcing possible talks with Venezuelan President Maduro.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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