The capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro could be just the first step in an ambitious campaign as a new document lays out Trump’s playbook to remake the world order.
The National Security Strategy – published last month – spells out a large-scale plan to use America’s military dominance to exert control over the Western Hemisphere and beyond.
‘We will assert and enforce a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine,’ the policy states.
‘The goal of this strategy is to tie together all of these world-leading assets, and others, to strengthen American power and preeminence and make our country even greater than it ever has been.’
Like the Monroe Doctrine, the so-called ‘Donroe Doctrine’ seeks favorable trade conditions by ensuring nearby nations are not ruled by adversaries. The doctrine is named for President James Monroe’s declaration in 1823.
But the early stages of Venezuela’s transition appeared to be in flux on Monday.
As Maduro faced drug trafficking charges in a Manhattan court, violence broke out on the streets of Caracas as the Venezuelan government was in complete disarray.
Trump said he was ultimately in charge of the South American country and claimed that US oil companies will be responsible for rebuilding their energy sector.
President Donald Trump may cite the Monroe Doctrine to carry out further changes to the world order
The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid over the weekend. He is pictured being led by Drug Enforcement agents to federal court on Monday
A national security memo shared by the White House describes how it will ‘assert and enforce a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine’
According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump even told US oil executives to ‘get ready’ one month before launching the operation to oust his adversary in the oil-rich nation.
Trump told NBC News on Monday how the oil industry would be integral in rebuilding Venezuela’s again infrastructure.
‘A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue,’ Trump said.
Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado has now promised to help Trump rebuild her country.
‘We will turn Venezuela into the energy powerhouse of the Americas, we will bring rule of law, open markets, open it for investment,’ she told Fox News‘ Sean Hannity.
She added that ‘millions of Venezuelans that were forced to flee the country’ will return to ‘build a stronger nation, prosperous nation, open society and we will leave behind the socialist regime that was brought to our people.’
Locals said ‘anti-aircraft’ blasts were heard from the general vicinity of the presidential palace after days of chaos in the streets since Maduro and his wife were captured from their home and whisked to America to face drug trafficking charges
But Trump is already forging ahead with his plans to rebuild the Latin American country, saying Monday that the United States will have to ‘nurse’ Venezuela back to health with the help of oil companies and taxpayers might have to help foot the bill.
The president admitted it will cost ‘a lot of money’ to rebuild the South American country’s energy infrastructure but thinks the US can do it ahead of that 18 month timeline.
‘I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,’ he told NBC News, adding that American taxpayers may be on the hook for the efforts, as the oil companies may need assistance to rebuild the energy infrastructure.
He then went on to claim that the project could take 18 months before Venezuelans elect a new president.
‘We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,’ Trump said.
‘No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.’
At the same time, the United States might use military force to take control of Greenland – which Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller insisted no country would dare fight Washington for.
Stephen Miller, right, flatly declared that Greenland ‘should be part of the United States’ – and insisted that no country would dare fight Washington over the Arctic territory’s future
Trump visited the territory last January, prior to the start of his second term
Greenland has had the legal right to declare independence from Denmark since 2009 but has not done so, largely because it relies on Danish financial support and public services
‘Nobody’s gonna fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,’ Miller said on air, brushing aside repeated attempts to get him to explicitly rule out military action in a combative appearance on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper Monday night.
He instead refused to deny the possibility of military intervention as he challenged Denmark’s sovereignty over the island.
‘What is the basis of their territorial claim?’ Miller asked. ‘What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?
‘The United States is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interests, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States, and so that’s a conversation that we’re going to have as a country,’ Miller argued.
Meanwhile, Venezuela descended into chaos overnight as heavy gunfire rang off near the presidential palace in Caracas
Locals said ‘anti-aircraft’ blasts were heard from the general vicinity of the presidential palace after days of unrest in the streets since Maduro was whisked to America to face drug trafficking charges.
But a White House official told CNN the administration is aware of reports of gunfire, but assured ‘the US is not involved.’
The network also reported that the gunfire was the result among ‘confusion’ between paramilitary groups operating near the palace.
Maduro was seen Monday walking into a federal courtroom wearing a blue T-shirt with an orange T-shirt underneath and tan issue prison pants as he pleaded not guilty to the drug charges against him
Maduro, 63, is now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
He was seen Monday walking into a federal courtroom wearing a blue T-shirt with an orange T-shirt underneath and tan issue prison pants.
His hands were cuffed behind him, and they were released as he walked into the court through a side door: his legs were shackled.
The dictator’s wife, Cilia Flores, 69, was wearing similar clothes and was also shackled, sitting on the same bench with a pained expression on her face.
Behind both in the packed courtroom sat two US Marshals.
As he walked in through a side door Maduro nodded to multiple people in the audience and said in English: ‘Happy New Year.’
One man in the public gallery gave the deposed president a thumbs up back.
Maduro and Flores put on headphones and listened to the proceedings through a translator.
As the hearing continued, Maduro took notes on a yellow pad in front of him and appeared impassive.
He stood and put his fingers on the table next to him as the Judge Alvin Hellerstein read out a summary of the indictment against him, detailing four counts of drug trafficking and other charges.
When he was then asked to identify himself, Maduro stood and told the court through the translator: ‘I am Nicolás Maduro Moros. I am President of the Republic of Venezuela. I am here, kidnapped, since Saturday January the 3rd.’
He later claimed he is ‘innocent’ of the charges against him, proclaiming: ‘I am a decent man. I am still President of Venezuela.’
Flores then also identified herself as the ‘First Lady of Venezuela’ and said she was ‘completely innocent’.
The court set a next date of March 17, and no application for bail was made.
