President Donald Trump of the United States has warned that the assault on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro could be followed by similar actions against other Latin American countries, including Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Trump said the attack on Venezuela was a deliberate message to governments across the region.
Trump singled out Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of involvement in drug trafficking to the United States.
“He’s making cocaine and sending it to the United States,” Trump claimed, adding that Petro “does have to watch his ass.”
Petro had condemned the U.S. action against Venezuela as aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and the wider Latin American region.
Responding to Trump’s comments, the Colombian leader said on social media that he was “not worried at all” by the threats.
Trump also mentioned Mexico during an earlier appearance on Fox News, suggesting that the U.S. may take action against its southern neighbor.
Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico,” he said, following Mexico’s denunciation of the attack on Venezuela and the abduction of President Maduro.
Trump claimed Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was “very frightened of the cartels,” adding, “So we have to do something.”
Similarly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, focused his warnings on Cuba, a long-standing target of his foreign policy views.
Speaking at the same press conference, Rubio said Cuban officials should be uneasy about recent developments.
“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned, at least a little bit,” he said.
US Attorney-General Pamela Bondi earlier announced that the United States Department of Justice has charged President Maduro with narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking and illegal possession of machineguns and destructive devices against the United States.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, US Attorney-General Pamela Bondi announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been indicted in the Southern District of New York.
According to her, the charges against Maduro include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices against the United States.
