Of all the ways to understand President Donald Trump’s belligerence toward Venezuela — as a campaign against “narcoterrorists,” a play for its oil reserves, a desire to control the Western Hemisphere — the most overlooked is the outcome he covets more than all those things combined: greatness. For Trump, Venezuela is not just a geopolitical question. It is an opportunity to lead in war, a hallmark of presidents considered the nation’s best.

No one runs for the White House to be pedestrian. Every president has a theory of greatness. For some, it’s decisiveness in transformative moments — the mix of judgment, personality and courage brought to bear in times of profound uncertainty. For others, it’s reflected in how much the nation bends — or bows — to the presidency. And for a few, it’s more formulaic: Create a list of presidential to-dos and simply check the boxes.

Being considered among the greats remains one of Trump’s deepest interests. He declared at a joint session of Congress in March that the first month of his second administration was “the most successful in the history of our nation,” before adding, “you know who No. 2 is? George Washington.” Last year, he told a convening of Black journalists, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.” He recently posted to social........

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