The American president Donald Trump is once again sending messages to Colombia and beyond, approximately two days after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his transfer to the US to stand trial.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his flight from Mar-a-Lago to Washington, the American president said that Colombia is governed by a “sick man” who likes “to make cocaine and sell it to America.”
He predicted that Gustavo Petro will not remain in power for long, and when asked if an operation similar to the strikes in Venezuela would take place in that country as well, Trump simply said it “sounds like a good idea to me.”
Trump: Something must be done about Mexico – Cuba’s dictatorship days are numbered
He also said that “something must be done about Mexico,” while regarding Cuba he said it is “ready to fall on its own” which is why no military intervention is needed. In the same vein, Senator and close Trump ally Lindsey Graham, who was also on the same flight, said that Cuba “is a dictatorship that kills priests and nuns” and that “its days are numbered.”
The American president claimed that his priority now is “to fix Venezuela,” which is today “a dead country” rather than to hold elections, while emphasizing that the US wants full access to oil reserves. The US “will take care of Venezuela and its people, as well as those living in our country because they were forced to leave,” bringing back what he had said on Saturday about the post-Maduro era of Venezuela and US involvement.
The “Donroe doctrine” – “We govern Venezuela”
“It’s in our area” was the “doctrine” with which he justified the US attack. He called it the “Donroe doctrine,” a mixture of the Monroe Doctrine, dating from the early 19th century, and his name, Donald.
Direct was also his threat to Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president and Maduro’s “right hand” who will assume power after the president’s arrest. Trump said that if she doesn’t listen to US advice, she will face a fate similar to Maduro’s.
Because, as he explained, “We want to have sustainable and successful countries around us where oil will flow freely from the ground. We will make large investments from oil industries to rebuild the infrastructure.” “We are negotiating with people who just took the oath. Don’t ask me who governs, because I’ll give you an answer that will be very controversial,” the Republican told reporters accompanying him on the presidential aircraft, when asked if he spoke with the interim president, former vice president Delcy Rodríguez. “That means we govern,” Donald Trump replied when reporters pressed him to explain what he meant.
He also told reporters that the military personnel injured during Nicolás Maduro’s arrest are all in good condition.
“We need Greenland, Denmark is not in a position to keep it – Many Cubans were killed in the Venezuela operation”
Meanwhile, he repeated his position that Greenland must become part of the US for their “security”: “We need Greenland from a national security perspective and Denmark won’t be able to keep it,” he responded to reporters’ questions.
Finally, he claimed that many Cubans were killed during the American operation in Venezuela. It should be noted that Venezuelan officials spoke of about 40 dead during the American operation, both uniformed personnel and civilians.
Late Sunday, Cuba announced that 32 of its citizens were killed in the operation to arrest Maduro, without going into details about their role in Caracas.
New Trump message to Iran
Meanwhile, Donald Trump once again conveyed that Iran will suffer a “very hard” blow if protesters are killed in the ongoing demonstrations in the country, which initially had economic demands and now also present political demands.
“We are watching it very closely. If they start killing people, as they did in the past, I think they will be hit very hard by the US,” the Republican threatened, addressing reporters on the presidential aircraft.
The demonstrations began on December 28 in Tehran, where merchants closed their shops in protest of hyperinflation and economic stagnation, before their scope widened, with participants now presenting political demands.
According to official data, at least 12 people have been killed since Wednesday, including members of law enforcement forces.
These are the largest protest gatherings since the 2022-2023 period, when hundreds of people were killed and thousands arrested, according to activists, triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed on women in the Islamic Republic.
The demonstrations these days currently have a much smaller scope.
