Trump’s Approach to Venezuela Mirrors His Domestic Agenda

Hint: it has nothing to do with democracy, freedom, or drug policy

The US incursion into Venezuela over the weekend made one thing crystal clear: US policies toward the country have nothing to do with promoting democracy, freedom or the rule of law, or even countering illicit drug flows. They’re about one thing alone: amassing power and resources by whatever means necessary.

That makes sense, as it’s completely consistent with the way the Trump administration has behaved domestically.

Trump has bluntly stated his goal is for the US to “run” Venezuela and force it to give American oil companies access–even if such companies don’t seem particularly eager to jump on it. Meanwhile Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that the way the US would get what it wants is through coercion–a “quarantine” on oil exports.

None of this has anything to do with stemming the flow of illegal drugs (most of which don’t come from Venezuela anyway). Nor does it describe any path toward ending the vicious repression and corruption of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, which held onto power despite losing the 2024 elections, and is continuing under his “vice-president.”

But it fits right in with the administration’s National Security Strategy, which calls for the US to be “preeminent in the Western Hemisphere [and] to assert ourselves confidently where and when we need to in the region,” without mentioning democracy. In the aftermath, Trump has once again threatened Greenland, Cuba and others; advisor Stephen Miller’s wife posted a photo implying a US takeover of Greenland from Denmark.

Nevermind that the incursion–like the boat strikes in the Caribbean–violated international law; that dozens of people, including civilians, were killed; that the White House didn’t even bother informing Congress of its plans; and that a majority of Americans opposed intervening.

This mirrors the administration’s domestic behavior. Over the last year, we’ve seen over and over the administration use threats and intimidation–whether with universities, law firms, Republicans in Congress and state legislatures who show some independence, the media, and protesters. It has sent troops into the streets of our cities as a frightening show of force, with the flimsiest of excuses. And it has routinely defied the law and even court orders, while rewarding those (like Honduras’s former president) who break the law but take its side.

The consistent threads in all of this: extortion, intimidation, and illegality. And lost in all of it: America’s core values of freedom, the rule of law, and government of, by, and for the people.

I can think of another country that abandoned these values to follow a strongman. Its people ended up impoverished, abused, and trapped in a corrupt system with no exit. It’s called Venezuela.

(Image: New York Times)