The TOI correspondent from Washington: In a cascade of incendiary remarks following the unprecedented US military operation that captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, US President Donald Trump has warned of action against Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and other nations, signaling an assertive and muscular reinterpretation of US hemispheric influence, now dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine.” Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One and in other interviews on Sunday, Trump laid out a combative and blunt force vision for US policy toward Latin American countries – and even as far as Greenland and Iran – claiming Washington’s right to shape outcomes across the Western Hemisphere and strategic regions.
Trump’s remarks began with a blistering attack on Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, whom he accused of presiding over drug production that harms the US, “Venezuela and Colombia are very sick,” Trump said. “A sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States … And he’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you.” When pressed about a potential US military operation in Colombia, Trump replied cryptically: “Sounds good to me.” Turning to Cuba, Trump stressed the island’s perceived vulnerability after Venezuela’s political collapse. “Cuba is ready to fall … Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela… from the Venezuelan oil … Cuba literally is ready to fall,” he said, suggesting that direct US military action might be unnecessary. He also warned Mexico on its challenges with drug trafficking, saying the country “has to get their act together” and hinting once more that Washington might take action if cartels continue to “pour through Mexico.” Trump did not confine his dark rhetoric to the Americas. Addressing unrest in Iran, he warned that Tehran would be “hit very hard by the US” if it used lethal force against protesters. “We’re watching it very closely,” he added.Trump has also revived his long-standing demand to control Greenland. “We need Greenland … it’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he said, defending what has long been dismissed by foreign capitals as unrealistic territorial expansion. Trump’s own cabinet principals have warned that the President means business and his words cannot be taken lightly. The 47th US President has explicitly framed his comments in historical context, casting his aggressive stance as a revitalization of US strategic doctrine going back to the 5th President James Monroe, who asserted in 1823 that the Western Hemisphere, particularly Latin America, was a US sphere of interest, and Washington would brook no interference from other European powers who had colonized large parts. “The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot,” Trump said, appearing to refer to growing Russia and Chinese influence in the region, while embracing the term “Donroe Doctrine” to describe his approach. “American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again,” he asserted.Supporters of the administration argue this reinterpretation reflects a necessary reassertion of Washington’s influence after years of perceived US neglect in Latin America and strategic rivalry with Russia and China, which he has accused of making inroads into what he sees as US domain. The new US assertiveness is reflected in the National Security Strategy released in late 2025, which made restoring “American preeminence” in the hemisphere a central goal. The regional response has been swift and largely hostile. Colombian president Gustavo Petro condemned Trump’s remarks as a threat to sovereignty and rallied Latin American unity against external intervention, while Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the US operation in Venezuela as “state terrorism.” Further afield, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen bluntly rejected US claims on Greenland, stating that “the United States has no right to annex” any part of the Danish kingdom, and emphasizing existing Nato security arrangements.Meanwhile, there is little indication from Venezuela that the US has succeeded in installing a puppet regime in Caracas like it had hoped to, with reports of residual pro-Maduro resistance. Trump has warned that there would be “severe consequences” should the interim leadership fail to align with US demands. “Don’t ask me about who’s in charge of Venezuela because it will be controversial…We’re in charge,” he said, adding, “if they don’t behave, we will do a second strike.”Critics both at home and abroad view the “Donroe Doctrine” as a dangerous revival of aggressive, unilateral US interventionism that risks alienating allies and destabilizing entire regions. Supporters see it as the only path to reclaim American strategic primacy. As diplomatic fires continue to rise across capitals from Bogota to Copenhagen, the aftermath of Venezuela’s upheaval has quickly expanded into a broader geopolitical test of American power in the 21st century.
