U.S. Rep Mike Kelly

For years, I’ve sounded the alarm about foreign intervention against the United States throughout the Western Hemisphere. I believe it’s one of the most significant existential threats facing our nation.

That’s why it was refreshing to hear President Donald Trump reference the Monroe Doctrine during his news conference on Saturday, Jan. 3, announcing the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

Americans would be forgiven if the President’s comment flew under their radar (much like the U.S. military that night in Caracas). But the 19th century foreign policy first established by President James Monroe remains as relevant today as it did 200 years ago.

The Monroe Doctrine established that a foreign state's intervention in the political affairs of the Americas was potentially a hostile act against the United States. Later, in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt built upon Monroe's policy with what is known as the Roosevelt Corollary. Under the Corollary, the United States could directly intervene in the internal affairs of Latin American countries if they did not do enough to prevent European aggression.

Today, we are reaching a new crossroads in American history that will extend far beyond our nation’s borders.

President Trump is known for his “America First” ethos – What’s best for the United States will guide both our foreign and domestic policy. I believe his vision for a peaceful Western Hemisphere transcends last weekend’s extraordinary military operations in Venezuela. It’s what I like to call the “Trump Doctrine” – America First on an international level with an eye toward the future.

During recent years, China and Russia have greatly expanded their influence in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. A February 2024 report from the Atlantic Council put it this way: "China and Russia operate and influence in a myriad of ways, but the core of their influence is through covert and overt strategies to undermine the US position in the region and to shape the foreign policy preferences in Latin America and the Caribbean."

The report further notes while China has been able to economically connect itself to the region, largely through its Belt and Road Initiative, Russia has not. Russia "seeks to sustain state-to-state security relationships with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela" to both expand its military influence in the region and sustain the Russian economy through military asset sales to Latin American countries.

While other international conflicts have required Americans’ attention in recent years, Venezuela’s cozy relationship with China and Russia remains a concern for America’s long-term security. A stable Venezuela will aid the region at large.

Further, we cannot forget about Cuba’s deepwater ports. The U.S. and its adversaries both recognize the ports are essential for maritime commerce and defense alike. In 2024, a fleet of Russian warships pulled into Cuban waters, less than 100 miles off the Florida coast. The deployment of warships, including a nuclear submarine, was a direct provocation to the West, particularly to the United States. It was Moscow's latest attempt to exert the type of influence in Latin America and the Caribbean region that it did during the Cold War, threats which ultimately led to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Make no mistake: Cuba remains a strategic piece to China’s, Russia’s, and Venezuela’s geopolitical puzzle today.

Outside of Latin America, we must not understate the geopolitical importance of the North Pole and the South Pole. Critics vehemently disagree with President Trump’s vision for Greenland. But I believe they do not fully recognize the gains China and other nations are making in the Arctic and Antarctic.

A recent report by The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies revealed “The Arctic has re-emerged as a critical axis of 21st-century geopolitics.” The report adds the Arctic is an essential piece for China’s long-term development of a so-called Polar Silk Road as it seeks to “integrate the melting Arctic into global trade routes, energy corridors, and governance frameworks.”

In 2024, China also opened its fifth research station in Antarctica and now operates as many facilities on the continent as the United States.

Greenland is coveted for more than its natural resources. Leaders around the world, including President Trump, recognize its strategic economic, defense, and geographical benefits. As China throws its weight around the North and South poles, considering the future of Greenland and America’s potential role with the territory is hardly preposterous.

We must also remember the importance of the Panama Canal. The United States built the 55-mile waterway over 100 years ago to expand and ease international travel and trade. In 1977, under President Jimmy Carter, the U.S. mistakenly handed control of the canal back to Panama, which gained full ownership in 1999. Today, China and its military-capable ships increasingly control ports on both ends of it. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. container shipping runs through the canal.

During his first year in office, President Trump has led with peace through strength. To him, the Monroe Doctrine is hardly a history lesson. It’s a foreign policy worth following. The President is reasserting American dominance not only at home, but also abroad. He is right to jumpstart these conversations and the national dialogue about America’s future.

China and other nations are unapologetically expanding their influence across the world, including in our Western Hemisphere. Like Monroe and Roosevelt, Trump is looking ahead to the next 100 years. What history will unfold? What role will the U.S. play? How can we craft a foreign policy that puts America first?

This is the Trump Doctrine in action.

U.S. Representative Mike Kelly is a Republican representing Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District. He currently serves as a member of the U.S.-China Working Group and as the Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax.