Donald Trump has been urged to invade the UK, and five other countries at risk of US takeover have been revealed.
The President may have been in office less than a year, but he has already sent shockwaves internationally, making a lengthy list of threats and setting his sights on other countries.
Donald Trump sparks outrage after invading country and ‘kidnapping’ president
Earlier this month, a military strike was launched on Venezuela, and President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured.
Later, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, and shared a photo of Maduro captioned: “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”
The President said the US would ‘run the country’ until a leadership transition could take place, while its oil companies would go into Venezuela.
Maduro declared he had been ‘kidnapped’ and remained president of Venezuela, as per Reuters.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still president of my country,” Maduro said through an interpreter.
The move sparked outrage worldwide, with commentators stating that Trump’s invasion ‘sets a perilous precedent.’
“Donald Trump’s invasion of Venezuela… is blatantly illegal and sets a disturbing precedent… that tyrants worldwide will be eager to exploit,” American attorney and human rights activist Kenneth Roth wrote in The Guardian.
US urged to invade UK
Following the removal of Venezuela’s president, far-right agitator Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, went viral after making a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter).
In one post, he called on Trump to ‘free’ the UK, as well as calling Prime Minister Keir Starmer a ‘tyrannical dictator.’
He said: “We would now love America & president trump to free us from our tyrannical dictator @Keir_Starmer.”
Warning issued to America’s allies in wake of attack
When speaking to reporters on January 4 aboard Air Force One, the President threatened to attack five countries – and this included allies, per The LA Times.
US officials state they want to show the wider world what they are capable of, while forcing both Trump’s allies and foes to adhere to his demands.
Amid Trump’s insistence that the US ‘need Greenland,’ its Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has urged Washington to stop threatening a NATO ally.
Founded in the aftermath of World War II, the organization is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member states, with 30 in Europe and two in North America.
Nielsen told TV2 network (via Euronews.com): “If the United States decides to military attack another NATO country, then everything would stop – that includes NATO and therefore post-World War II security.”
Trump has been highly critical of NATO – in his first term, and at his first NATO summit, he criticized European allies for not spending enough, while also owing the US ‘massive amounts of money.’
WW3 fears as invasion sets ‘dangerous precedent’
The US’s actions have prompted concern and outrage – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated the raid ‘set an extremely dangerous precedent,’ and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro called it ‘aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America,’ per PBS.
Under the United Nations Charter, a state may only lawfully use military force against another country in two situations: if the UN Security Council has expressly authorized it, or if the state is acting in self‑defence against an actual or imminent armed attack.
The President suggested he was acting in defence of the United States due to the threat of drugs emerging from Venezuela; however, drug trafficking is not and has never been recognized as an armed attack that would justify the use of military force under international law, via The Guardian.
There was no Security Council authorization in this case, and Venezuela did not present an armed threat to the United States.
If a powerful country can use military force without UN approval and claim weak reasons like drug trafficking, it makes it harder for other countries – and their allies – to trust that international rules will keep them safe.
What countries are at risk?
Beyond Venezuela, Trump has issued warnings or made concerning statements about several other nations, raising fears about which territories might face US pressure or intervention next.
Greenland
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States must ‘own’ Greenland.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” the President told reporters, claiming without evidence that the territory is ‘covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.’
He ominously added that America will acquire Greenland ‘the easy way or the hard way.’
Security experts have warned that such plans bear a disturbing similarity to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy to grab more territory.
Columbia
Colombia appears high on the list following Trump’s blunt warning to President Gustavo Petro to ‘watch his a**.’
The President accused Colombia’s left-wing leader of ‘making c**aine and selling it to the United States,’ adding menacingly: “He’s not going to be doing it for very long.”
When asked if the US would carry out a military operation against Colombia, a country rich in oil, gold, and other natural resources, Trump replied: “It sounds good to me.”
Cuba
Cuba faces an uncertain future as Trump suggested the island nation is ‘ready to fall’ following the collapse of Venezuelan oil supplies that reportedly comprised 30 percent of Cuba’s energy needs.
While Trump indicated military intervention might not be necessary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, warned Cuban officials: “If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I’d be concerned.”
Mexico
Mexico remains a constant target of Trump’s ire over immigration and drug trafficking.
The President has repeatedly claimed Mexican authorities aren’t doing enough to stop narcotics from flowing across the border and has offered to send US troops to combat cartels, though President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly rejected any American military presence on Mexican soil.
Trump’s first-day executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America’ signals his territorial mindset regarding America’s southern neighbor.
Iran
Iran has drawn Trump’s attention as anti-government protests intensify across the country.
The President warned that Iranian authorities would be ‘hit very hard’ if protesters are killed, stating: “We’re watching it very closely.”
This follows previous US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and raises the specter of renewed American military action in the Middle East.
Additionally, Trump has speculated about Canada becoming the 51st state. Although he’s ruled out military force, it’s said he’s advocating for ‘economic force’ in order to pressure the country into annexation.
With Trump saying ‘when the president speaks, you should take him seriously,’ countries are left wondering if alliances and international law can stop an administration willing to reshape the world to suit its own interests.
