After Maduro capture, Trump’s tough talk evokes a return to the days of American imperialism
January 5, 2026
President Donald Trump hasn’t minced words about the larger message he’s trying to send the world with the U.S. military raid to capture Nicolás Maduro. “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” Trump declared shortly after the deposed Venezuelan leader and his wife were spirited away to the United States to face federal drug trafficking charges. In the days since the audacious raid, the president and his team have only doubled down on this notion. It’s the kind of tough talk not heard since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when American presidents deployed the military for territorial and resource conquests.