President Donald Trump’s operations in Venezuela and Iran have tested his campaign pledge to keep the United States out of wars, as talks over Iran continue and Russian attacks on Ukraine persist.
At a Pennsylvania rally on Aug. 17, 2024, Trump promised “no more wars.” In his Jan. 20, 2025, inaugural address, he said his administration would count “the wars we never get into” among its measures of success.
U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores during an operation in Venezuela on Jan. 3, 2026. Gen. J. Daniel Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 150 aircraft took part. The White House said the strikes assisted the mission to take the pair into U.S. custody.
The Associated Press (AP) counted at least 240 people killed in more than 70 U.S. military boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific by Oct. 27. AP reported that the military had not publicly provided evidence that its latest target was carrying drugs; that evidence caveat concerned the latest vessel.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, 2026, saying it was acting on Trump’s orders. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) reported more than 13,000 targets struck by April 6. In his Sept. 3 notification to Congress, Trump said U.S. strikes beginning Sept. 1 answered Iranian attacks from late August.
Trump also pledged during his 2024 campaign to settle Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours. Addressing the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council on Oct. 9, a U.N. official described continued Russian attacks on Ukraine and urged a cease-fire.
Trump’s Greenland remarks took different tones in January. On Jan. 9, 2026, he told reporters he would do “something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way.” At the World Economic Forum on Jan. 21, he said, “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.” Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed an Arctic defense agreement on Sept. 22. Frederiksen said the agreement respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as Greenland’s right to self-determination.
As of Nov. 2, AP and Axios reported that Trump had not decided whether to resume strikes on Iran. AP said Qatari mediators had met Iranian officials twice the prior week to discuss an exchange: Iran would stop attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports. AP reported that additional talks were planned for the week of Nov. 2. Axios quoted Trump as saying he was “in no rush” to decide.
