Apart from a few details, I never saw much difference between Trump’s America First shtick and MAGA’s chief foe, the neconservatives. It appeared to be merely a squabble over details, such as whether democracy or strongman rule abroad best served the so-called national interest. No one believes in America Second, Third, or Nth.

Trump’s action in Venezuela confirms my impression. Beneath the surface, the contrast between Trumpian America First and neoconservatism disappears. At his news conference after the Venezuela invasion and decapitation, Trump was asked, “Mr. President, why is running a country in South America Ame- — America first?” To which he replied,  “Well, I think it is because we wanna surround ourself with good neighbors. We wanna surround ourself with stability. Uh, we wanna surround ourself with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It’s very important that we protect it. We need that for ourselves. We need that for the world, and we wanna make sure we can protect it.”

How does that differ from the other major faction of American foreign policy? It’s the same justification for intervention. We need friends. We need a stable world. We and the world need secure energy. The necons are every bit as America First in their intentions as Trump and his people are. Where’s the difference in principle? There is none. Cynics will say that necons are Israel First and don’t care about America. That’s an accusation. In the absence of evidence, I take the neocons at their word. They are not all Miriam Adelson. Anyway, like many people I have known, they think the two countries’ interests coincide. That deserves refutation, not insults.

American alliances have always been justified in terms of American interests. People say, “In a dangerous world, America needs good, strong allies.” I’m not saying they are right, only that they say and presumably believe it. Let’s not pretend that Trump is different. Don’t let a difference in style, campaign rhetoric, and downright vulgarity throw you. They all essentially agree.

It’s hard not to notice the throwback to earlier American imperialist presidents, such as Theodore Roosevelt, a favorite of neoconservatives. Notice that Trump said, “We have tremendous energy in that country.” We. And: “We need that for ourselves.” Ourselves. He’s embracing what someone has dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine,” but he seems ignorant of James Monroe’s original speech of 1823, which stated that the United States would not meddle in Europe (as Trump is doing) and expected the European powers to no longer colonize or otherwise meddle in the Western Hemisphere. Existing European colonies would be left alone, Monroe said. This was when Latin American countries were gaining independence from Spain and recognition from America. Trump seems unaware that the doctrine, written by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams (who said that America “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy”), did not reserve to the U.S. government the right to interfere in Latin America. (Obviously, the doctrine has been routinely violated. Trump is hardly an innovator.)

As for his reference to having good neighbors, contrast Trump’s actions with Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy. “Through the diplomacy of [free trader] Secretary of State Cordell Hull,” says Britannica.com, “the United States repudiated privileges abhorrent to Latin Americans. The United States renounced its right to unilaterally intervene in the internal affairs of other nations at the Montevideo Conference (December 1933); the Platt Amendment, which sanctioned U.S. intervention in Cuba, was abrogated (1934); and the U.S. Marines were withdrawn from Haiti (August 1934).” Trump’s is a Bad Neighbor Policy.

He said at his new conference, “The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied.” He later said that the U.S. government would run Venezuela for more than a year. VP Vance posted that sales of Venezuelan oil must serve U.S. interests, as defined by the Don, of course. That’s good old American Gunboat Diplomacy. Trump’s threats against Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Denmark over Greenland demonstrate his complete embrace of this dark side of American history.