Key Takeaways
- The second year of President Donald Trump’s term is expected to focus on showcasing American military power, particularly in the Western Hemisphere.
- Trump has warned that countries in the region, including Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico, could be targets of US intervention.
- The president has emphasized the need for these countries to address narcotics trafficking and illegal migration to the US.
- Trump’s administration has pointed to the "Donroe Doctrine" as a guiding principle for its approach to the region, emphasizing the need for stability and security in the Western Hemisphere.
- The US has already taken military action in Venezuela, arresting President Nicolas Maduro, and has hinted at potential future action in other countries in the region.
Introduction to Trump’s Foreign Policy
The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term was marked by a focus on brokering peace deals around the globe. However, his sophomore year is shaping up to be one that emphasizes American military power, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. Trump has set his sights on challenging nations in America’s backyard, from adversaries such as Venezuela and Cuba to partners like Colombia and Mexico. The president wants these countries to more forcefully address narcotics trafficking and illegal migration to the US, which has become a political sore spot for Trump. His foreign forays are beginning to frustrate some lawmakers in his own party, who are concerned about the potential consequences of his aggressive approach.
US Intervention in the Western Hemisphere
Trump has warned that other countries in the Western Hemisphere and beyond could be the next targets of US intervention. The list includes Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark, and Iran, which the US bombed last summer. Trump recently threatened to "knock the hell" out of Tehran and said America is "locked and loaded and ready to go" if the regime uses deadly force against protesters. Current and former Trump administration officials say more US military action could very well be in the offing. Victoria Coates, who served as deputy national security adviser to Trump in his first administration, said that Trump is serious about taking action against countries that are not cooperating with the US. She called Greenland and the Panama Canal, which Trump has previously talked about reclaiming from the Central American country, "almost strategic imperatives" for the US to acquire.
The Donroe Doctrine
Trump has laid out his approach to the region in the administration’s National Security Strategy, a 29-page document released in December. The goal is for the Western Hemisphere to remain "reasonably stable and well-governed enough" to discourage mass migration to the US and free from "hostile foreign incursion or ownership" of core assets, strategic locations, and critical supply chains. The document asserts that the US will "assert and enforce" its modern-day take on the Monroe Doctrine, an early 19th-century proclamation that holds that the US will stop any foreign power from interfering in the Americas. Trump’s administration argues that adversaries such as China are exercising undue influence in Latin American countries like Venezuela and the Panama Canal. Trump has begun publicly referring to his aggressive posture as the Donroe Doctrine, which he says is in keeping with his administration’s pursuit of peace through a robust demonstration of American strength.
Potential Targets of US Intervention
Trump has suggested that several other nations, much closer to home, could become his next targets. Cuba is a "failing nation" that’s "very similar" to Venezuela, he said of the communist country. Colombia is a "very sick" country, he charged, and "run by a sick man." Trump accused Colombia’s democratically-elected president, Gustavo Petro, of "making cocaine and selling it to the United States" and proclaimed that he won’t be doing it for much longer. Mexico has also been warned to "get their act together" and stop drug trafficking to the US. Trump’s close ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, has chimed in, saying that Cuba’s "days are numbered" and that the US will have allies in these countries, doing business with America, not narcoterrorist dictators killing Americans.
Consequences of US Intervention
The military operation around Maduro’s capture, which the Venezuela government says left 100 people dead, has prompted five Republicans to join Democrats in voting for a Senate resolution that attempts to keep Trump "from striking within or against Venezuela" without prior approval from the legislative branch. Trump has said that he canceled a planned second wave of attacks and no longer thinks they will be necessary. However, the administration has pointedly said it offered Maduro multiple off-ramps, which he ignored. Trump has also said that he would seek a $1.5 trillion budget for the Department of War, which he renamed from the Department of Defense, next year – a more than 50% increase over what Congress appropriated in 2026. The consequences of US intervention in the region are still unclear, but it is likely that Trump’s aggressive approach will have significant implications for the countries involved and the global community.