The Broader Strategy Behind Trumps Removal of Venezuelas Maduro

Trump led the most consequential action so far to restore US dominance in the Western Hemisphere and drive out the CCP.Illustrations by The Epoch Times|January 07, 2026Updated:January 07, 2026With former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro awaiting trial in federal custody in New York City on narco-terrorism charges and U.S. President Donald Trump vowing that the United States will “run” the country until there is a “proper transition,” the first manifestation of a generational foreign policy shift has emerged.Under the “Trump Corollary” to President James Monroe’s 1823 policy that declared the Western Hemisphere a distinct sphere of U.S. influence, removing Maduro from office and seizing control of Venezuela’s oil resources are among the opening salvos of a renewed focus on affairs closer to the nation’s shores, most notably and immediately in the Caribbean Basin.