Donald Trump declared that the only thing limiting his power to order military strikes anywhere in the world is “my own morality” (what morality???) — and then announced the U.S. will begin land strikes against drug cartels in Mexico.
Let that sink in: The President of the United States just told The New York Times that international law doesn’t apply to him. “I don’t need international law,” Trump said during a nearly three-hour interview. “It depends what your definition of international law is.”
WHAT’S GOING ON: Fresh off the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump is flexing his military might across Latin America. He told Fox News Thursday night that the U.S. will now target Mexican drug cartels with land strikes, claiming “the cartels are running Mexico.”
Trump has suggested Greenland, Cuba, and Colombia could be next on his list — angering NATO allies and world leaders from the UK to France. He even interrupted his Times interview to take a call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who previously vowed to “take up arms” if Trump came after him.
THE DETAILS: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that U.S. military intervention has been “raised repeatedly” in her conversations with Trump, but she’s rejected the offer every time. She sees it as a nonstarter.
Meanwhile, Trump is already cashing in on his Venezuela operation. He announced a deal to receive 30 to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil — worth up to $2 billion — with the money “controlled by me, as President of the United States.”
OF COURSE: Trump couldn’t resist bragging about deserving multiple Nobel Peace Prizes. “When you put out eight wars, in theory, you should get one for each war,” he said, adding that the Nobel committee not giving him a prize “has been a major embarrassment to Norway.”
WHY IT MATTERS: A sitting U.S. president just announced that his personal moral compass — and nothing else — determines when and where American military force can be used. No international law. No Congressional oversight mentioned. Just vibes.
This isn’t tough talk from a campaign trail anymore. This is the commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful military saying the quiet part very, very loud: The only check on his power is himself.