It's hard not to notice the throwback to earlier American imperialist presidents, such as Theodore Roosevelt, a favorite of neoconservatives. Notice that Trump said, "We have tremendous energy in that country." We. And: "We need that for ourselves." Ourselves. He's embracing what someone has dubbed the "Donroe Doctrine," but he seems ignorant of James Monroe's original speech of 1823, which stated that the United States would not meddle in Europe (as Trump is doing) and expected the European powers to no longer colonize or otherwise meddle in the Western Hemisphere. Existing European colonies would be left alone, Monroe said. This was when Latin American countries were gaining independence from Spain and recognition from America. Trump seems unaware that the doctrine, written by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams (who said that America "goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy"), did not reserve to the U.S. government the right to interfere in Latin America. (Obviously, the doctrine has been routinely violated. Trump is hardly an innovator.)
[...]
[Trump] said at his new conference, "The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied." He later said that the U.S. government would run Venezuela for more than a year. VP Vance posted that sales of Venezuelan oil must serve U.S. interests, as defined by the Don, of course. That's good old American Gunboat Diplomacy. Trump's threats against Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Denmark over Greenland demonstrate his complete embrace of this dark side of American history.
~ Sheldon Richman, "TGIF: 'We're' All Neocons Now," Free Association, January 9, 2026
