1980s – The administration relies on a late‑1980s Justice Department legal opinion that permits the president to deploy forces abroad to capture indicted individuals, using it to justify the Maduro raid and expand presidential war‑powers authority. [2]

Jan 6, 2026 – Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller tells CNN the world is “governed by strength, … force, … power,” declaring the United States will act as a superpower and linking the rhetoric to the recent special‑forces raid that ousted Nicolás Maduro, an operation involving nearly 200 U.S. personnel and a fierce firefight on Venezuelan soil. [4]

Jan 6, 2026 – Miller ties the aggressive posture to broader aims such as annexing Greenland for its rare‑earth minerals and posts a State Department message “This is Our Hemisphere,” signaling an Arctic expansion strategy. [4]

Jan 6, 2026 – Republican congressional leaders, including Senate GOP leader John Thune, publicly back the raid as a law‑enforcement action not requiring congressional authorization, narrowing immediate oversight. [4]

Jan 9, 2026 – President Trump tells the New York Times that only his own morality and mind can limit his global ambitions, stating “I don’t need international law,” a declaration that frames U.S. foreign policy as subordinate to personal will. [3]

Jan 9, 2026 – The administration announces Trump will personally oversee Venezuela’s oil exports, taking a share of revenues to benefit Venezuelans and effectively placing U.S. control over a critical energy resource. [3]

Jan 9, 2026 – Trump reiterates interest in Greenland, describing it as a strategic prize for its rare‑earth deposits and Arctic position, and incorporates the goal into a “Trump Corollary” to a modern Monroe Doctrine. [3]

Jan 10, 2026 – In a New York Times interview, Trump repeats that his own morality is the sole constraint on his power, reinforcing his earlier statement and underscoring a worldview that dismisses international law. [2]

Jan 10, 2026 – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declares that U.S. leverage over Venezuela will dictate the country’s decisions, cementing leverage as a central policy driver in the Western Hemisphere. [2]

Jan 10, 2026 – Stephen Miller again tells CNN that the world operates under strength, force, and power, positioning America’s assertiveness as essential to the free world’s future. [2]

Jan 10, 2026 – Officials frame the Maduro raid as a law‑enforcement operation supported by the military, rather than a conventional war, to sidestep constitutional war‑powers requirements. [2]

Jan 10, 2026 – Vice President J.D. Vance dismisses a Senate war‑powers resolution as “fake and unconstitutional,” arguing it will not alter policy in the near term. [2]

Jan 15, 2026 – Miller recounts that over a year before the Maduro operation he warned that Venezuela’s leader was sending gang members into the United States, linking the claim to immigration policy and justifying a hard‑line stance. [5]

Jan 15, 2026 – Spain and five Latin American nations issue a joint statement calling for non‑intervention, peaceful dispute resolution, and respect for sovereignty, highlighting regional diplomatic pushback against the U.S. action. [5]

Jan 15, 2026 – Senator Bernie Sanders labels the administration’s Venezuela policy “old‑fashioned imperialism,” framing the intervention as a regression to Cold‑War‑era dominance. [5]

Jan 15, 2026 – Miller posts on social media that the West “dissolved empires after World II” and now “sends welfare to former territories,” portraying U.S. intervention as a corrective to reverse colonization. [5]

Jan 20, 2026 – Stephen Miller frames the world as ruled by power, reinforcing the administration’s hard‑edged foreign‑policy narrative as it expands air strikes in Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, and conducts a large raid that captures Venezuela’s president. [1]

Jan 20, 2026 – The United States announces it will effectively run Maduro’s Venezuela for the foreseeable future, with Senator Tom Cotton stating new Venezuelan leaders must meet American demands to retain power. [1]

Jan 20, 2026 – Trump unveils a sweeping tariff regime described as “economic warfare,” projecting trillions in revenue, while economists warn the costs will fall on American households; the administration hints at a nationwide rebate and future tariff expansions. [1]

Jan 20, 2026 – The president’s push to acquire Greenland meets broad domestic opposition, with polling showing disapproval and lawmakers publicly criticizing the unilateral move, indicating limits to his Arctic ambitions. [1]

Jan 20, 2026 – Nobel laureate Machado donates her medal to Trump during a White House visit, while the Norwegian prime minister meets with Trump after a prize snub, illustrating symbolic diplomatic gestures despite the Nobel committee’s claim the award is non‑transferable. [1]