Donald Trump Says ‘My Own Morality’ Is ‘the Only Thing That Can Stop Me’ from World Dominance: ‘I Don’t Need International Law’

President Donald Trump suggested he would not feel bound by international law as he continues hinting at a far-reaching campaign to reshape power in the Western Hemisphere.

“I don’t need international law,” Trump said in a new interview with The New York Times. “I’m not looking to hurt people.”

When pressed, Trump acknowledged his administration would likely be expected to comply with international rules. Still, he added: “It depends what your definition of international law is.”

Trump said there was only “one thing” that could restrain him from pursuing sweeping ambitions: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”

Less than a week earlier, U.S. forces acting under Trump’s direction captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, amid what Trump described as “large-scale strikes” on Caracas. The pair were brought to the United States to face trial on multiple charges tied to narco-terrorism.

Venezuela has since installed an interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, but Trump has repeatedly asserted the United States is now effectively running the country.

“It’s going to be run very judiciously, very fairly. And it’s gonna make a lot of money,” Trump previously said. “You know they stole our oil. We built that whole industry and they just took it over like we were nothing. So we did something about it. We’re late, but we did something about it.”

He later added that the U.S. would sell Venezuelan oil abroad. “We’ll be selling large amounts of oil [from Venezuela] to other countries… We’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be,” he said.

Trump also claimed his approach would benefit Venezuelans, saying his administration would ensure the public is “taken care of” and would bring “peace” and “justice,” along with “a real country.”

But Trump signaled his aspirations extend beyond Venezuela. He has also renewed his push to annex Greenland, currently controlled by Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States.

Trump said it “may be a choice” between preserving the U.S. relationship with NATO and pursuing Greenland, which he described as strategically critical due to its location along major trade and security routes linking the U.S., Europe, China and Russia.

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Jan. 4. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

In his remarks to The New York Times, Trump said he does not view allied control as sufficient, arguing he wants full ownership rather than agreements.

“Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success,” Trump said. “I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do with, you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.”

Trump also indicated he is weighing action involving Colombia, Cuba, Iran and Mexico.

“You have to do something with Mexico,” Trump previously told reporters, pointing to drug cartels. “Mexico has to get their act together because they’re pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something.”

He added: “We’d love Mexico to do it. They’re capable of doing it, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico.”

Turning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Trump accused him of overseeing a country “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” adding that Petro “is not going to be doing it very long.”

Petro spoke with the Times before calling Trump to discuss the threats, warning he believes the risk of U.S. military action is serious—especially after the Venezuela operation.

“We are in danger,” Petro said. “Because the threat is real. It was made by Trump.”