In recent discussions, the comments made by Steve Miller have drawn significant attention due to their extreme nature. These remarks shed light on the unsettling ideologies held by some members of the Trump administration, revealing a concerning mindset towards foreign policy and international relations.
The underlying irony is that the last major U.S. attempt to seize control of oil resources was less than successful. This point was highlighted in a recent interview featured on Neutrality Studies:
Pascal Lottaz: Many people consider the Iraq war to be a significant blunder, yet, following the 2003 invasion, the United States has maintained control over Iraq’s oil for the past 22 years. A similar situation has unfolded in Syria, illustrating a history of successfully extracting oil from conflict-affected nations.
Former Amb. Chas Freeman: The situation in Syria is particularly egregious, as control over its limited oil production largely drives U.S. involvement. However, regarding Iraq, it is important to note that primary production is now handled by Chinese companies. Thus, while we engaged in the conflict, others ultimately reaped the economic benefits. Iraq remains deeply unsettled and divided, with ongoing efforts to expel U.S. forces failing. This cannot be labeled a success.
By Julia Conley, staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams
One Democratic lawmaker characterized a recent tirade by top White House adviser Stephen Miller on CNN as “belligerent.” Miller’s comments revolved around the idea that the Trump administration reserves the right to intervene in Venezuela—or any nation—if it purportedly serves U.S. interests.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) remarked that Miller’s comments provided a clear illustration of imperialism, reflecting the administration’s worldview as it asserts control over Venezuela and considers other nations, including Greenland for potential takeover.
“This is the essence of imperialism,” Sanders told CNN anchor Jake Tapper. “It appears that the world is witnessing a regression to an era where powerful nations exploited weaker ones for their resources.”
During an interview, Tapper questioned whether President Donald Trump would endorse new elections in Venezuela, especially following U.S. military actions that recently targeted the country and involved the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse.
Miller sidestepped directly answering the question, deeming it “absurd and preposterous” for the U.S. to aim to elevate Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Instead, he insisted on conveying the White House’s broader stance on foreign policy.
“The United States unapologetically employs military means to secure our interests in the hemisphere,” Miller stated. “As a superpower, under President Trump, we will conduct ourselves accordingly. It’s outrageous that we would let a nation in our vicinity supply resources to our adversaries while denying them to us.”
Miller further expressed that rather than pressuring Venezuela to hold elections, “the future of the free world relies on America asserting its interests without apology.”
MILLER: The US is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere. We’re a superpower and under President Trump we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower. It’s absurd that we would allow a nation in our backyard to become the supplier of… pic.twitter.com/wXK2UxnqUj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 5, 2026
The Trump administration has consistently maintained that Venezuela “stole” its oil from the United States. With the largest reserves globally, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in 1976, which affected projects previously overseen by U.S.-based ExxonMobil. In 2007, the last of the privately operated oil ventures were nationalized under former President Hugo Chavez.
Miller articulated a particularly explicit view of the White House’s perspective, stating, “Sovereign nations lose their sovereignty when the U.S. desires their resources,” which Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) highlighted in a social media post.
Moulton deemed Miller’s outburst as “truly unhinged,” providing a disconcerting insight into the administration’s worldview.
These statements followed a similarly blunt assertion made by U.S. Ambassador Michael Waltz during an emergency UN Security Council meeting.
“We cannot allow the largest energy reserves in the world to be in the hands of U.S. adversaries,” Waltz declared.
Notably, Miller’s comments align with previous threats from Trump directed at countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Greenland, indicating potential intentions to expand U.S. control over Greenland, despite it being part of the Kingdom of Denmark—a member of NATO alongside the U.S.
“Greenland should rightfully be part of the United States,” asserted Miller. “This is the official position of the U.S. government.”
Miller: “Greenland has a population of 30,000 people. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The United States is the power of NATO. Greenland should be part of the United States.”
“Nobody is going to fight the U.S. militarily over the future of Greenland.” pic.twitter.com/d7i2kMXFMD
— Dori Toribio (@DoriToribio) January 5, 2026
Despite dismissing the notion of a military operation to seize Greenland—despite Trump’s previous remarks about not ruling out force—Miller confidently stated, “No one will confront the United States militarily over Greenland’s future.”
This vast island, located in the Arctic Circle, is believed to hold significant untapped reserves of rare-earth minerals.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have condemned Trump’s threats, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning that any aggression against another NATO member would result in dire consequences for international relations.
“The current democratic order, the framework of international relations, NATO, which is the world’s foremost defensive alliance—all of that would collapse if one NATO country attacked another,” she said during an interview with Danish news outlet Live News.
The Danish government convened an emergency meeting of its Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss “the kingdom’s relationship with the United States” in light of recent developments.
On CNN, Sanders noted that while Trump aims to control oil in Venezuela and resources in Greenland, people in America are grappling with rising costs and financial uncertainties.
“Perhaps instead of attempting to dominate Venezuela,” Sanders suggested, “the president should focus on better managing affairs within the United States.”
