Within the past few months, much has changed regarding the international relations of the United States, especially within countries and territories like Venezuela and Greenland. The current Trump administration’s approach to these situations has stirred the opinions of many Americans and has sparked all sorts of questions and concerns regarding the future of these nations, their people, and what the United States will do about it. There’s a lot to uncover and understand, so let’s take it step by step.
Greenland:
Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency in January of 2025, the Trump administration has made many controversial comments regarding the potential annexation of Greenland. Currently owned by Denmark, Greenland stands as a controversial issue. It has brought the attention of many European nations, who have vowed to stand up for Greenland in the event of U.S. aggression. Some of these include: Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and France. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Alliance) also holds somewhat aggressive opinions towards this whole situation. NATO has established armed forces to the island of Greenland for a joint military exercise due to a rather intense meeting at the White House regarding the future of Greenland.
In a meeting, Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rammusen states, “It’s clear the president has the wish of conquering Greenland,” which he follows up with, “We had what I’ll describe as a frank, but constructive conversation”. Prior to the White House meeting, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederick Nielsen said, “Greenland does not want to be owned by the USA. Greenland does not want to be governed by the USA. Greenland will not be part of the USA. We choose the Greenland we know today, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Now, although the plans for Greenland currently are quite a mess and seem to be favoring the side of NATO and its allies, there’s no way to predict what will happen next. From the president’s passionate aggression towards Greenland and their allies standing up to that same aggression, a lot can change within the coming months.
Venezuela:
Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, much has changed regarding the international policy of the United States, not just because of Greenland, but also including the sudden takeover of Venezuela in early January of this year. On the night of January 3rd, 2026, U.S. forces entered Venezuela, capturing the presidential leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro. Both were taken into custody shortly after brought by charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. According to President Trump, this operation was initially planned for months on the proper course of action to remove Maduro and his wife from Venezuela. During a press conference, the president stated, “This was an audacious operation that only the United States could do”. Since it’s been one month since Maduro’s capture and the U.S takeover of Venezuela, much has changed within and outside of the country. Countless protests have erupted all throughout the nation, both for and against Maduro’s removal from power. Under Maduro’s rule, Venezuela had many social, political, and economic problems, most of these issues due to Maduro’s poor and rather careless handling of the country’s issues. Since Maduro’s removal, lawmakers have been attempting to establish an amnesty bill, which is responsible for releasing a bunch of political prisoners, including activists, opposition members, and human rights defenders, most of whom have been detained for just a few months to entire years. According to the New York Times, many political opposition parties that were directly against Maduro’s rule are “coming out of hiding”. With that said, Venezuelans and Americans alike continuously wonder what the future holds for the people of Venezuela.
With everything going on between these nations and territories, citizens of Venezuela, Greenland, and the United States are eager to understand what this could mean for the future of their respective nations and how this could ultimately impact the world. Although you may not see consistent news stories on these issues at the current moment, it’s highly important to remember that these stories are still relevant, even if you haven’t heard about them in a while. Since these issues serve as primary concerns within the current Trump administration, more information on these stories is expected to develop.