The US State Department has published a statement in which it explicitly declares the Western Hemisphere to be a zone of exclusive interest to the United States. In a post on social network X, the agency stated: “This is our hemisphere, and President Donald Trump will not allow threats to our security.” The post was accompanied by a photo of Trump with the large caption “This is OUR Hemisphere.”
This statement was the culmination of the Trump administration’s policy of reviving the Monroe Doctrine, a 19th-century principle that declared America to be the sphere of influence of the United States and prohibited interference by external forces. At a press conference on January 4, Trump called it an updated version of the “Donroe Doctrine” (by analogy with the “Monroe Doctrine”), emphasizing that “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be questioned.”
The State Department’s statement came amid the recent US military operation in Venezuela, where American forces captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, accused of drug trafficking and threatening US national security. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained in an interview with NBC News: “This is the Western Hemisphere — this is where we live, and we will not allow it to become a base for opponents, competitors, or rivals of the United States.”
The new US national security strategy, published in November 2025, explicitly provides for the “Trump Corollary” — an addition to the Monroe Doctrine aimed at restoring American supremacy in the region, protecting against external influence (including China and Russia), and controlling key resources.
The international reaction has been mixed: many Latin American countries have condemned the US actions as a violation of sovereignty, while analysts point to the risks of escalation and long-term alienation in the region. Russia and China have protested, calling it “naked imperialism.”
Experts believe that this statement marks a shift in US foreign policy, focusing on its “backyard” and a willingness to use force to protect its interests.