Donald Trump threatens Nicolás Maduro again and reinforces naval operations in the Caribbean

Accompanied by his top national security advisors – Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – at a press conference on Monday, he stated that he remains willing to further intensify his four-month pressure campaign on the Maduro government, which began with the stated purpose of stopping the flow of illegal drugs from the Caribbean country, but has become something more amorphous.

“If he wants to do something, If he acts tough, it will be the last time he will be able to act tough.”Trump warned of Maduro as he briefly interrupted his vacation in Florida to announce plans for the Navy to build a new large warship. In addition, he said that “the smartest thing” would be for the Chavista leader to leave power.

The US president issued his most recent threat while the Coast Guard continued on Monday to pursue a sanctioned oil tanker for the second day, which according to the Trump government is part of a “clandestine fleet” that Venezuela is using to evade sanctions imposed on it by Washington. The ship, says the White House, is sailing under a false flag and faces a judicial seizure order in the United States.

“It is advancing and we will end up capturing it,” Trump warned.

It is the third tanker pursued by the Coast Guard, which on Saturday seized a Panamanian-flagged vessel called Centuries that U.S. officials said was part of the Venezuelan clandestine fleet.

The Coast Guard, with support from the Navy, seized a sanctioned tanker named Skipper on Dec. 10, which was also part of the fleet of tankers that the United States says operates outside the law to move sanctioned cargo. That ship was registered in Panama.

After that first seizure, Trump announced that the United States would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. The president has repeatedly warned that Maduro’s days in power are numbered.

Last week, Trump demanded that Caracas return assets it seized from American oil companies years ago, again justifying his announcement of a “blockade” against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees the Coast Guard, said Monday in an appearance on the show “Fox & Friends” that the operations against the ships are intended to send “a message to the world that the illegal activity in which Maduro participates cannot continue, he must go, and that we will defend our people.”

Maduro, for his part, assured that Trump “would do better” if he “attended to the issues” of the United States and did not focus so much on Venezuela.

“I think President Trump could do better in his country and in the world,” he said at an event broadcast on state television. “The world would do better for him if he attended to the issues of his country. It cannot be that he attends to 70% of his speeches and statements and the time is (about) Venezuela, what about the United States?” Maduro questioned.

Earlier, the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Kristi Noem, had declared that Maduro “has to leave” power.

“We are not only intercepting ships, but also sending a message to the world that the illegal activity that Maduro is involved in cannot be tolerated; he has to go,” Noem told Fox News.

Washington accuses Maduro of leading the alleged Cartel of the Suns, described as a “narcoterrorist” group, and offered a reward of $50 million for information leading to his capture.

The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, announced on Monday that he again received the Russian support in the face of the US naval blockade.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “firmly expressed Russia’s solidarity with the people of Venezuela and with President Nicolás Maduro Moros, and ratified his full support against the hostilities against our country,” Gil wrote on Telegram.

For its part, Moscow indicated in a statement that the “ministers expressed their deep concern about the escalation of Washington’s actions (…) The Russian side reaffirmed its full support and solidarity” with Venezuela.