{"id":220,"date":"2026-01-05T18:41:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socializenews.com\/?p=220"},"modified":"2026-01-05T18:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:41:39","slug":"after-maduro-capture-trump-says-cuba-ready-to-fall-threatens-operation-in-colombia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socializenews.com\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"After Maduro Capture, Trump Says Cuba ‘Ready to Fall,’ Threatens Operation in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON<\/strong> \u2014 President Donald Trump intensified his confrontational stance toward leftist leaders in Latin America on Sunday, strongly implying that Colombian President Gustavo Petro could soon face U.S. intervention while suggesting Cuba’s communist government is on the verge of falling without Venezuelan support.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters, Trump described Colombia as “very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” He added emphatically, “And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you.”<\/p>\n

When pressed on whether this signaled a potential U.S. military operation against Colombia \u2014 similar to the weekend raid that captured ousted Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro \u2014 Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”<\/p>\n

The remarks come amid escalating regional tensions following Saturday’s U.S. operation in Venezuela, which seized Maduro and his wife for trial on narco-terrorism charges.<\/p>\n

Colombian President Petro swiftly rejected the accusations in a public statement, declaring, “I deeply reject Trump speaking without knowing; my name does not appear in the judicial files on drug trafficking over 50 years, neither from before nor from the present.”<\/p>\n

He continued: “Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump. That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people’s struggle for Peace in Colombia.”<\/p>\n

On Cuba \u2014 a staunch ally of the Maduro regime that lost at least 32 personnel defending him during the raid \u2014 Trump suggested the island’s government had relied heavily on Venezuelan financial aid.<\/p>\n

“Now, they won’t have that money coming in. They won’t have the income coming in,” Trump said, noting that many of the Cubans killed in the operation “were trying to protect Maduro.”<\/p>\n

The president’s comments signal a potential broadening of U.S. assertiveness in the Western Hemisphere, raising concerns about further interventions in the region.<\/p>\n

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People ride a motorbike past a mural of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, January 4, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Ronald Pena R\/epa\/shutterstock\/RONALD PENA R\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall. I don’t know how they \u2014 if they’re going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income,” Trump told reporters. “They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it. And Cuba literally is ready to fall. And you have a lot of great Cuban Americans that are going to be very happy about this.”<\/p>\n

When pressed again on whether the U.S. is contemplating military action in Cuba similar to the weekend operation in Venezuela, Trump dismissed the need: “It looks like it’s going down.”<\/p>\n

The comments come as Cuba mourns the loss of 32 military and security personnel killed defending Maduro during Saturday’s U.S. raid, and as regional allies reel from the rapid fall of the Maduro regime.<\/p>\n

In Venezuela, the Supreme Court has appointed Vice President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez as interim president, officially describing the U.S. operation as a “kidnapping.” Rodr\u00edguez, who initially demanded Maduro’s immediate return and vowed to resist “American aggression,” has since signaled openness to cooperation with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled for their initial court appearances Monday in Manhattan federal court on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.<\/p>\n

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A firefighter walks past a destroyed anti-aircraft unit at La Carlota military air base, after President Donald Trump said the U.S. has struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria\/Reuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Venezuela’s newly appointed interim President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez shifted to a conciliatory tone Sunday, posting a statement on social media inviting the United States to “collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.”<\/p>\n

The overture marks a notable softening from Rodr\u00edguez’s initial demands over the weekend for the immediate return of captured former leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, whom she described as the victim of a U.S. “kidnapping.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump maintained a hardline stance, telling reporters Sunday that the U.S. is now “in charge” of Venezuela. He demanded that Rodr\u00edguez grant “total access” to the country’s vast oil reserves, warning of further action if she fails to “do what’s right.”<\/p>\n

In remarks to The Atlantic, Trump reiterated the need for unrestricted access to Venezuelan oil fields. He confirmed he has not yet spoken directly with Rodr\u00edguez but added, “At the right time, I will.”<\/p>\n

The exchange highlights ongoing tensions and potential negotiations following Saturday’s U.S. military operation that seized Maduro and his wife for trial on narco-terrorism charges in New York.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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