January 9, 2026
RED FM News Desk
U.S. President Donald Trump told The New York Times in an interview published Thursday that his “own morality” is the only real constraint on his authority to order military actions around the world — brushing aside traditional legal and institutional limits.
Asked if anything could limit his global power, Trump said: “Yeah, there is one thing — my own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” He added, “I don’t need international law,” though he later said his administration did follow it depending on how one defines it.
The comments came days after a rapid U.S. military operation that toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and amid Trump’s renewed push to assert U.S. influence — including threats toward other countries and interest in the autonomous territory of Greenland.
Trump’s remarks — in which he described international legal limits as flexible — have raised concerns among lawmakers and international leaders about the balance of power, legal norms and the role of international law in U.S. foreign policy. Some members of Congress are moving to rein in presidential authority over military actions, but critics say any such measures may face a veto.
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