On Jan. 2, President Trump gave final orders to strike Venezuela. In the early morning hours of Jan. 3, the US military carried out this order, launching a series of unexpected strikes on Venezuela. By 3:30 a.m. that day, the US military was out of the country with Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. This unforeseeable military action shocked the nation and raised much concern regarding Trump’s prior statements about wars and what his future actions may be.
Many first public reactions were recorded and uploaded on TikTok, and for many students like senior Dative Joy, it was how they first learned of the development. “All of his actions are very sudden and impulsive, and none of them seem thought out,” expressed Joy.
His actions might seem impulsive to some, but for many, they are a warning. “When I first heard about the news in Venezuela, I was shocked,” said senior Malea Johnson. “However, when putting the situation in context, it’s not all that shocking.”
This sentiment has simply compounded with Trump’s recent statements, on Jan. 9, regarding Greenland. “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not…I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.” Trump’s phrasing of this, directly after invading Venezuela, left a lot of room for speculation not only on his current actions.
His pursuit of expansion has brought attention to his consistency in his beliefs. “Trump has made many threats and comments implying he wants to annex, invade and take multiple countries’ land,” said Johnson. “First, he joked with Canada’s prime minister about making Canada a state, and since 2019, he has publicly stated he wants to take Greenland for the United States.”
On Jan. 4, the prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, referenced Trump’s personal actions in his thoughts on the matter. Nielsen stated, “We are open to conversations. But it has to be through the right channels and with respect to international law. And the right channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media.” Even with the practical and legal applications of Trump’s threats, the perception of his actions is made worse by his unprofessional handling of the situation, highlighting what seems to be, by most, ulterior motives.
Outside of the reasoning for his threats against Greenland, Trump’s ulterior motives are made most apparent in his attempted reasoning for invading Venezuela. “I’m not all that shocked about the situation in Venezuela, nor do I believe his concerns over the drugs, or the political validity of their president,” said Johnson. “Directly after stating these concerns in a press conference, he immediately started talking about the economic implications of Venezuela’s natural resources… Like an impatient child.”
It is well known that the American public has always and will continue to be sceptical of the government, and for this reason, they see right through his claims of American safety. This, in turn, invalidates every other claim he has made regarding Greenland and also makes people question why he would joke about annexing Canada as well.
Many Americans believe that his goal to expand stems from the natural resources present in other countries. “In my opinion, he only wants Greenland and Venezuela for their resources, and I feel like he should be stopped by any means because if he doesn’t end up getting what he wants, there’s a very high chance that nothing positive will come from it,” expressed Joy.
While there is still much debate over what the president can and can’t do without Senate approval, on Jan. 8, in a 52 to 47 Senate vote, they voted in favor of requiring Senate approval if Trump wants to seek any further military action in Venezuela. However, it remains uncertain what is possible in relation to Greenland and even Canada, as Trump continues to push his presidential powers to their breaking point.
