In a rare Oval Office interview with The New York Times, Trump said only one thing limits his power.
When asked what can stop him as commander in chief, he did not mention Congress, the courts, or international law.
“Yeah, there is one thing,” he said. “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
The remark came just days after Trump sent U.S. special forces to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and fly him to New York, a move that set off immediate legal and diplomatic fallout.
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Trump dismissed those concerns outright.
“I don’t need international law,” he said. “I’m not looking to hurt people.”
The interview itself was anything but normal. Four New York Times reporters were allowed into the Oval Office and permitted to remain while Trump took a private call from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Rather than asking them to leave, he warned the journalists that the conversation was off the record and carried on talking.
National security experts were quick to note how unusual that was.
During the call, Trump reportedly repeated past insults toward Petro and hinted that Colombia could face U.S. pressure next. Petro has recently said Trump “deserves nothing but jail” and warned he would defend his country if needed.
After the call ended, Trump returned to the interview as if nothing had happened.
Throughout the meeting, he leaned heavily on aides. One assistant searched the internet and printed documents on demand. At another point, Trump was shown video footage of a police shooting in Minnesota while the interview continued.
Trump also made it clear he expects the United States to control Venezuela for years, including its oil sales. Asked how long that control would last, he refused to give a timeline.
“I would say much longer,” he said.
Venezuelan officials pushed back hard. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said no foreign power would govern the country and accused the United States of violating its sovereignty. She called the raid that removed Maduro a historic breach and claimed dozens were killed.
The White House has released few details to counter that claim.
Even U.S. allies are uneasy. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Washington has a duty to explain the legal justification for the operation. Others warned that Trump’s actions threaten the international system built after World War II.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
