WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday that his “own morality” was the only constraint on his power to order military actions around the world.
Trump’s comments to The New York Times came days after he launched a lightning operation to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and threatened a host of other countries and the autonomous territory of Greenland.
“Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,” Trump told the newspaper when asked if there were any limits on his global powers.
“I don’t need international law,” he added. “I’m not looking to hurt people.”
The Republican president then added that “I do” need to abide by international law, but said “it depends what your definition of international law is.”
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The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries war criminals, and it has repeatedly rejected decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s top court.
This screengrab taken from the X account of Rapid Response 47, an official White House account, shows Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (center) escorted by DEA agents inside the headquarters of the US Drug Enforcement Administration in Manhattan, New York City, January 3, 2026. (X account of Rapid Response 47 / AFP)
Trump himself has had his own run-ins with domestic law, as he was impeached twice, faced a slew of federal charges — including conspiring to overturn the 2020 election — which were eventually dropped after his re-election. He was also convicted of covering up a hush money payment to a porn star.
While proclaiming himself as a “peace president” and seeking the Nobel Prize, Trump has launched a series of military operations in his second term as president.
Trump ordered attacks on Iran’s nuclear program in June and in the past year has also overseen strikes on Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and — most recently — on Venezuela.
Since Maduro’s capture, an emboldened Trump has threatened a string of other countries, including Colombia, as well as Greenland, which fellow NATO member Denmark administers.
Asked whether his priority was preserving the NATO military alliance or acquiring Greenland, Trump told the Times: “it may be a choice.”
This image posted on US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on January 3, 2026, shows, left to right: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, ostensibly watching a remote feed of the US military’s mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026. The X social network is visible on the screen in the background. (HANDOUT / US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account / AFP)
Some members of Congress, including a handful of Republicans, are trying to check Trump’s power.
On Thursday, the Senate advanced a measure to rein in presidential military action in Venezuela. But even if it reaches his desk, Trump would likely veto it.
Billionaire Trump, who made his fortune as a property developer, added that US ownership of Greenland is “what I feel is psychologically needed for success.”
Trump said separately that he had no problem with his family conducting foreign business deals since his return to office.
“I prohibited them from doing business in my first term, and I got absolutely no credit for it,” Trump told the Times. “I found out that nobody cared, and I’m allowed to.”
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