I woke up yesterday morning to discover that the United States has captured the leader of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a daring, middle-of-the-night raid into Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. I can give credit to the raid’s efficiency without getting bogged down as to whether the raid was legal or Constitutional. That will come in a later essay.
Despite all the previous suggestions that America’s conflict with Venezuela was about stopping the export of drugs to America, and that somehow every small boat heading to Europe would eventually kill 25,000 Americans, President Donald Trump has made it clear that the main goal is to control Venezuelan oil. The commander-in-chief mentioned “oil” many times in his January 3, 2026, speech to the nation about the raid. Of surprise to many was his oft-repeated statement that that the U.S. was going to run the country.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” Trump said.
“We’re there now, but we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place."
"We’re going to stay until such time as we’re going to run it, essentially, until such time as a proper transition can take place.”
The most recent “No Kings Day” protests saw approximately 7 million people take to the streets to oppose Trump's leadership in America. It remains to be seen how he will respond to the inevitable protests from Venezuelan citizens, who may not demonstrate the gratitude he expects.
America has a long history of occupying and controlling other countries, often for far longer than Donald Trump implies in his comments. Here’s a brief list, excluding the independent kingdom of Hawaii, which U.S. overthrew in 1893 and never restored. In that takeover, U.S. Marines landed without consultation of President Grover Cleveland. Similarly, Donald Trump recently attempted to take control of Venezuela without consulting Congress.
- The Philippines (1898–1946)
- Cuba (1898–1902)
- Puerto Rico (1898-present)
- Panama Canal Zone (1903–1979)
- Haiti (1915–1934)
- Dominican Republic (1916–1924)
- Nicaragua (1912–1933)
- Mainland Japan (1945–1952)
- Ryukyu Islands/Okinawa (1950–1972)
- South Korea (1945–1948)
- Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau (1947–1994)
Once America occupies and runs a foreign country, the average length of stay is just under 35 years and increasing because of Puerto Rico, which we won’t give back or give statehood. I would say America only controlled countries where the inhabitants were primarily brown or yellow, but we were part of an occupation along with the other Allied Powers from 1945 to 1949. We also supported the American Colonization Society in its efforts to control Liberia in 1822. By 1847, Liberia was recognized as an independent republic (still controlled by American interests), and by the 1920s, it came under the control of The Firestone Company. America never colonized any African nations, but Liberians might beg to differ.
Apart from questioning how long we'll be involved in Venezuela, one also wonders who will be in charge. When asked this, Trump named Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Assuming none of them resign from their current positions, Trump will need to select someone to manage Venezuela on a day-to-day basis. Given that qualifications have never been a priority for Trump, it's possible he'll turn to Fox News once again, a source he has frequently tapped for talent.
Crazier things have happened.