Fresh from a mostly goodwill trip to Asia, Trump is raising the stakes elsewhere.
The attacks on what the US claims are drug boats from Venezuela have killed several people, and are now about to be followed up with outright acts of war also against land.
There have been leaks from the US administration that an attack may be only hours or days away.
Within a limited time, I believe they will launch an attack on Venezuelan land, says Jan Hallenberg, associate senior researcher at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs.
The US government wants to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and stop drug smugglers moving north.
"I understand that it is quite clear that that is their ultimate goal. And then the strategy is to gradually increase the military pressure and the next logical step is then military aircraft, drones and cruise missiles," says Hallenberg.
Is the idea then that the US should just get in and out quickly?
Yes, I think so. Is it enough to overthrow Maduro? I don't think so. The question is how far can you go before it becomes a big, real war?
Christian nationalism
In parallel, Trump and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have suddenly turned their attention to Africa's most populous country, Nigeria. The reason, according to the US administration, is that Nigeria is unable to protect its Christian population from Islamist militant groups.
Trump has previously made similar accusations against South Africa. But then it concerned an alleged genocide of white farmers that the South African government did not do enough to stop.
Is this a modern crusade?
Yes, it's a bit like that, it's white Christian nationalism that applies now, says Jan Hallenberg.
Want to dominate
Dag Blanck, professor of North American studies at Uppsala University, is on the same track.
"There is an aspect of defending Christian values and what he perceives as persecuted Christians," he writes in a comment to TT.
Trump's second term in the White House "is characterized by a much more muscular and active foreign policy. He wants to seek a more dominant role for the United States," Blanck continues.
Both countries are major oil states. Is it a coincidence?
"Especially in the Venezuela case, it is no coincidence. In the Nigeria case, I cannot judge," says Jan Hallenberg.
