‘Disturbing times’: Trump comment has experts asking ‘Oh my god how is this real?’
Donald Trump made a comment over the weekend that shocked many people who follow politics closely. Some were so surprised that they openly questioned whether what they were hearing was actually real.
While speaking on Saturday, Trump was talking about what he described as a successful mission by his administration to capture the leader of Venezuela and the leader’s wife. During that discussion, he suddenly brought up the Monroe Doctrine, a long-standing U.S. foreign policy idea about limiting foreign influence in the Americas.
Trump said the Monroe Doctrine was once very important but claimed it had since been replaced by something bigger. He then appeared to stumble over the name, jokingly calling it the “Donroe Document” before saying people had more or less forgotten about the Monroe Doctrine altogether. The comment immediately raised eyebrows.
Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean reacted strongly, saying the remark revealed more than Trump may have intended. She said that no one brings up the Monroe Doctrine in that way unless they are thinking in terms of expansion or aggressive military action. In her view, Trump’s comment suggested a mindset focused on power and territorial influence, and she argued that he had essentially given away his intentions by speaking so casually.
Many others online were just as stunned, though their reactions ranged from concern to disbelief and ridicule. Journalist Chuck Todd joked that satire writers were no longer needed, sarcastically suggesting people now needed to learn about the so-called “Donroe Doctrine.” Democratic strategist Michelle Kinney expressed shock, asking how something like this could be real at all.
The New Yorker’s John Cassidy shared a blunt and profane reaction, clearly showing his disbelief. Professor Christopher Rhodes, who studies and writes about the Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny, said Trump has shown signs of embracing those old ideas in his current term. However, Rhodes said this moment went further, accusing Trump of both invoking the doctrine and turning it into a mockery at the same time, which he called deeply disturbing.
Former diplomat Tom Malinowski added that similar thinking exists elsewhere in the world, saying that in Europe it resembles what people call the Putin doctrine, and in Asia the Xi Jinping doctrine. Former Republican strategist Jeff Timmer went even further, using harsh language to describe Trump and mocking the “Donroe Doctrine” comment as embarrassing on a global scale.
Overall, the remark sparked a wave of concern, confusion, and criticism, with many warning that careless language about foreign policy and military power can have serious consequences.
