Posted on 01/03/2026 2:11:09 PM PST by Angelino97
President Trump told the nation the US would now take over running Venezuela, after strongman Nicolas Maduro was captured “in the dead of night.”
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort as he provided new details on the stunning military operation...
“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” the president said. “We had boots on the ground last night, at a very high level, actually.”
Later, Trump added, “We’re going to have [a] presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil.”
In a strong assertion of US national prerogative in the hemisphere, Trump said he had one-upped the Monroe Doctrine of the nation’s early history.
“They now call it the Don-roe doctrine,” Trump quipped, while flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
He brushed off questions about the US’s record of running countries in Latin America over the last century and even whether it was consistent with his “America First” mantra.
“We’re going to run the country right, it’s going to be run very judiciously, very fairly,” Trump said.
The president indicated the military had been “prepared to do a second wave” if needed.
He said his advisors assumed such a wave would be necessary — only one was needed...
Trump also indicated Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wasn’t up to the task of governing.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he opined. “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect in Venezuela.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
We will get to see a real election in Venezuela. And then apply it here.
,,, no mention of their silver?
Nation Building, America will get behind.
It could mean 2 things and the left’s reaction will be predictable.
Can’t wait until Cuba starts acting up. Gonna be awesome.
Bush 1 successfully captured Panama's Noriega, after which Bush went on to lose in 1992.
Like many past presidents, Trump is tempted by the allure of military victories. Feels good to flex American military might. Easier than fixing domestic problems.
I will trust Trump no matter what, but I can’t understand how we got to this point.
Yes, because we’ve been so good at it
What’s with these effing urinalistic A-holes that continue refering to Peth Hegseth as the “Secretary of Defense”? He is the Secretary of WAR - and he leads the WAR DEPARTMENT.
Well somebody better 411 Trump that the Venezuelan VP is now on TV demand that the Maduro’s be released. Maybe boots on the ground after all.
Trump has set the tone for 2026: action, accountabililty.
The Monroe Doctrine. Trump doesn’t talk about it. But he is a follower of it.
Canada, Greenland, Argentina, he will make sure we don it have enemies at our door step.
Now China has lost a patron and source of cheap oil.
Maybe only Trump knew that running Venezuela, after extracting the Maduros, was going to be “a thing”.
It’s possible he told nobody about that.
It’s possible Trump only decided it would be a good thing to do that after the success of the “first wave”.
He might not have decided to run Venezuela until after he started speaking to the nation about the overwhelming success of the “first wave”.
As in, heck, let’s do it, why not.

A Federal judge will have Maduro released and back in Venezuela on 24 hours or less.
Claptrap.
President Hugo Chávez targeted foreign operators refusing majority control to PDVSA in joint ventures. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips had their assets seized after resisting terms.
It’s actually called the Trump Corollary and is very close to the Monroe Doctrine.
I don’t understand why so many are whining: “but we’re so bad at nation-building.” Trump is not like all the others before. I trust him.
Most countries in Latin America have become nacro states run by international cartels.
If we really want to stop mass migration from these countries, we have to take out the cartels that run them.
Trump must be able to read my mind because he has enacted a common sense policy that I have wanted for decades.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.