3 min readJan 4, 2026 05:17 PM IST
First published on: Jan 4, 2026 at 05:17 PM IST
Hours after announcing that the US military had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro to “watch his a**”.
Trump was addressing a press conference where he detailed the capture of Maduro after days of escalating troop presence and military action in Latin America.
Addressing reporters after the US launched ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ in Venezuela, Trump accused Petro of enabling cocaine production that fuels drug flows into the United States. “He’s making cocaine and they’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks came as Maduro was brought to a prison in New York along with his wife, Cilia Flores, after US forces extracted them from Caracas.
What Colombian President Gustavo Petro said
Without naming Maduro, Petro criticised Washington’s actions, calling them an assault on the sovereignty of Latin America and warning that they would trigger a humanitarian crisis.
“The Government of the Republic of Colombia views with deep concern the reports of explosions and unusual air activity in recent hours in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the resulting escalation of tension in the region,” he said.
Petro has opposed US military deployments ordered by Trump in the Caribbean to counter what Washington describes as drug trafficking operations. As part of his anti-drug strategy, Trump has said he would not rule out strikes on drug production laboratories in Colombia, a move Petro has described as a threat of invasion.
‘We’re going to run the country’
Hours after Maduro’s removal from Venezuela, Trump said the US would temporarily run the country. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he said, adding that the US stood ready to launch a second and larger attack if required.
Outlining Washington’s approach to the region, Trump said the US would not allow questions over American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. He said the US sought stability and energy security and highlighted Venezuela’s energy resources. “We have tremendous energy in that country. It’s very important that we protect it. We need that for ourselves,” he said.
Trump’s plan for Venezuela
Trump said the US planned to send American oil companies into Venezuela to repair oil infrastructure and generate revenue, while keeping the embargo on Venezuelan oil in place. He said the American armada remained positioned in the region and that all military options stayed on the table until US demands were met.
Trump also commented on Venezuela’s internal politics, expressing confidence in Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and questioning the domestic support for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
These developments come weeks after Trump began threatening ground strikes in the South American nation, even as he insisted that he would push for regime change as part of his effort to curtail the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants. Last month, he designated “illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals” as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), even as the US military expanded its presence in the Caribbean Sea.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. He is joined by, from left: Stephen Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (The New York Times) 
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