President Donald Trump just made it clear that he already has his eyes set on a new target following the US's capture of the president of Venezuela. During a press conference on Saturday, he urged Colombian President Gustavo Petro to 'watch his ass.' The threat marks a dramatic escalation in tensions across Latin America, with Trump openly invoking the Monroe Doctrine to assert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
In the same gathering, Trump made stern allegations about his fellow president. The President alleged that Petro is personally making cocaine and sending it to the United States. 'And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement: He's making cocaine. They're sending it to the United States. So he does have to watch his ass,' Trump said (via The New York Post).
From Venezuela to Colombia
Weeks earlier, Trump accused Petro of being a troublemaker after the latter continuously posted criticisms regarding the US operation in Venezuela. Trump's comments came on the heels of the US military's recent operation in Venezuela. After carrying out airstrikes in the country, the President announced that the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, had already been captured.
The Fall of Maduro
He later shared a photo of Maduro on his Truth Social account. It shows the Venezuelan President holding a bottle of water with his eyes blindfolded and his ears covered by headphones. Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured in Venezuela. According to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, the couple will face trial in New York on narco-terrorism charges.
The capture was carried out by an elite US special forces unit in a 30-minute raid on Maduro's 'fortress' in Caracas. Trump revealed that Maduro and his wife were caught as they tried to flee into a 'solid steel' safe room but 'got bum-rushed right so fast that he didn't get into that.'
'A Slave's Peace'
Since September, the US has already carried out air strikes in Venezuela against suspected drug-trafficking boats. Several Venezuelan oil tankers have already been seized. Over 100 people have also been killed in the attacks.
During this weekend's press conference, Trump declared that the U.S. will be running Venezuela until a new president is elected. He also said that oil companies in the U.S. would go into Venezuela, according to The Guardian.
Two months before his arrest, Trump reportedly suggested that Maduro relinquish his power, but the latter refused. Maduro said that he didn't want 'a slave's peace' and then accused the US of wanting to control Venezuela's oil reserves.
Trump Targets Cuba
Other than Colombia, Trump also had negative things to say about Cuba during the press conference. He described the country as a 'failing nation,' because it isn't doing very well right now.
'The people there have suffered for many, many years, and I think Cuba is going to be something we'll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now. It's very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we also want to help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country,' he said.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
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