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To the editor:
Two recent interviews were revealing and terrifying. The first was held between Donald Trump and New York Times reporter; the second between Stephen Miller and CNN anchor Jake Tapper. NYT correspondent Katie Rogers asked Trump whether anything limits his use of global power and the role played by international law, Trump responded “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law."
In the second interview, Tapper asked Miller what Trump meant when he said the U.S. is running Venezuela.
Miller responded, “Well, what the President said is true. The United States of America is running Venezuela …. that's true. Jake, we live in a law (Freudian slip?), I'm sorry, we live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time."
One doesn’t expect such statements from U.S. presidents and their top advisors. It more resembles dialogue from a movie like Key Largo where mob boss Johnny Rocco and his henchman Angel Garcia discuss how they operate their “business” or from another Hollywood production, Star Wars, with Trump’s lines read by supervillain Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader quoting Miller.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a movie. When psychopaths tell you that they are only governed by their sense of morality in which might makes right, AND they control the world’s most powerful military and nuclear arsenal, the entire world is in danger.
Joseph Cannisi
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Valete
In your letter, you provide inaccurate information about the United States government’s oil embargo on Venezuela.
The United States government, primarily through President Donald Trump via executive orders, authorized significant oil embargoes on Venezuela. In January 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) for sanctions, effectively freezing its assets and prohibiting any transactions.
Key Details on the Authorization:
Executive Orders: President Trump signed Executive Order 13850 in November 2018, Executive Order 13808 in August 2017, and others, which established the legal framework to block transactions and freeze assets within the Venezuelan oil sector.
Target: The sanctions specifically targeted PdVSA to prevent the Nicolas Maduro regime from profiting from oil exports.
2026 Action: In January 2026, President Trump signed a new executive order to further control and safeguard Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. custody.
Enforcement: The U.S. Treasury has actively enforced these sanctions, including seizing tankers and regulating various transactions.
Regarding the early January 2026 interview in the Oval Office, New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers and her colleagues, David Sanger, Tyler Pager, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, questioned President Trump about the limits of his global authority.
The key takeaways from this exchange regarding global power and international law include:
The Single Limit: When Rogers inquired about any checks on Trump’s power on the global stage, Trump responded, “Yes, there’s one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
“America First” Strategy: As reported by the White House, the administration’s policy prioritizes US sovereignty and economic interests over international commitments.
Rejection of Binding Authority: Trump has stated that his actions are not subject to international law if he believes they contradict US interests.
In conclusion, while the President of the United States has the legal authority to manage international agreements, the extent of his authority to unilaterally withdraw from Senate-ratified treaties remains a matter of ongoing legal and constitutional debate.
As you see, you have omitted key details of the Trumpm interviews
Thursday, January 29 Report this