It is true that Trump has shown a greater willingness to use military force during his second term, but this still falls short of a consistent or coherent policy.

The “Monroe Doctrine” may have encouraged action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but Maduro’s domestic unpopularity, economic weakness, and alleged involvement in drug trafficking to the United States, according to US judicial authorities, were also factors that pushed Trump toward the use of force. Even in the case of Iran, war was not inevitable.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made Trump's task easier when he launched a unilateral war against Iran in June 2025, prompting the White House to join the operation during its final hours.

However, the US president later clashed with Netanyahu when the latter sought to resume the war after American bombers had struck Iran’s nuclear program, and again when he recently pressed for an escalation of the conflict in Lebanon. Had Operation Absolute Resolve in Caracas not achieved such rapid success, Iran might well have avoided a second war.

A personal and political approach to diplomacy

Trump most likely does not use diplomacy as a cover for military action. Rather, he sometimes views diplomatic failure as a personal and political humiliation inflicted by an adversary, which can lead him to respond forcefully.

For example, in August 2019, Trump considered a proposal to provide Iran with a $15 billion credit line and expressed his willingness to meet former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani without preconditions. That approach faced resistance and pressure from his advisers. More recently, Trump also expressed a desire to meet Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.