The Monroe Doctrine was an 1823 policy announced by President James Monroe that warned European powers against new colonization or takeovers of the newly independent Latin American republics, while leaving existing European colonies alone. In return, the United States said it would stay out of Europe’s wars.
Fast forward to today, where Donald Trump first used the term “Donroe Doctrine” in January after the capture of Venezuelan dictator and accused drug lord Nicolás Maduro. The Monroe Doctrine was a “big deal,” the president said, “but we’ve superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Donroe Doctrine.”
Although there is no formally published doctrine by that name, it’s a shorthand way to describe the “Trump Corollary,” which was part of the November 2025 National Security Strategy document. In a nutshell, it says the U.S. wants to support friendly Latin American states that discourage immigrants from trying to get into America illegally, crack down on cartels and drug runners, and keep the region free of foreign ownership of key assets and supply chains.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio expanded on the theme the next day:
.@SecRubio on the DONROE doctrine: pic.twitter.com/jbJ8svsYXu
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 4, 2026
On Tuesday, we got a taste of that doctrine as the State Department announced they’re stripping tens of millions of dollars in U.S. military assistance from countries in Europe and the Middle East and sending it to our friends down south instead.
The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress that it will reprogram $52 million in foreign military financing from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week and pledged to them additional support as the Trump administration has prioritized the Western Hemisphere in its foreign policy with an emphasis on combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
It is just the latest in a series of moves that have reduced either money or troop deployments to Europe in response to President Donald Trump’s complaints about NATO allies not spending enough on their defense budgets and other matters. Both North Macedonia and Slovakia are NATO members.
The move comes after the Trump administration secured a huge oil deal with Venezuela in late August, one which will not only be lucrative, but, as our Nick Arama wrote at the time, it’s “a huge message to Russia, China, and Iran.”
This deal is a huge win for both the American and Venezuelan people.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 28, 2026
It demonstrates how President Trump's bold foreign policy is driving America First wins: securing stable reserves and low-cost oil in our Hemisphere and lowering gas prices here at home.
For the Venezuelan… https://t.co/SMSRYGWmVb
This deal is a huge win for both the American and Venezuelan people.
It demonstrates how President Trump's bold foreign policy is driving America First wins: securing stable reserves and low-cost oil in our Hemisphere and lowering gas prices here at home.
For the Venezuelan people, this deal will bring nearly $100 billion in private investment, support thousands of high-paying jobs, and drive the reconstruction of Venezuela's economy.
Instead of sending the funds to the Continent, the administration will redirect them to “combat narcoterrorism in our backyard and help continue to secure the Panama Canal,” the State Department said. Some funds will still go to the countries affected, but it will be significantly reduced.
“These funds will prevent adversaries from establishing strategic footholds in our hemisphere,” the department said in a veiled jab at China, which has increasingly sought to boost its presence in Latin America.
I bet Monroe didn’t think we’d still be talking about his Doctrine almost 203 years later.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are once again respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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