Fresh off a dramatic U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump wasted no time expanding the conversation far beyond Caracas, signaling a broader and more aggressive posture toward multiple nations.
Speaking to reporters while traveling back to Washington on Sunday, Donald Trump framed the Venezuela mission as a warning shot to others in the region, The Hill reports. Colombia quickly became a focal point, with Trump launching a blistering attack on President Gustavo Petro.
“Colombia is very sick, too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.
Trump’s rhetoric then shifted to Cuba. When asked if military action against the island was on the table, his response was blunt: “It sounds good to me.”
Mexico was not spared either. Trump accused the country of failing to rein in cartel violence and suggested U.S. involvement may be unavoidable. “You have to do something with Mexico,” he said. “We’re going to have to do something. We’d love Mexico to do it, they’re capable of doing it, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico.” Trump confirmed he has offered U.S. assistance to help fight the cartels.
On Cuba’s stability, Trump predicted collapse, tying the country’s economic struggles to the loss of Venezuelan oil. “Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall. I don’t know if they’re going to hold out,” he said. “Cuba is literally read to fall, and you have a lot of great Cuban Americans who are going to be happy about this.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was traveling with Trump, reinforced that message, declaring that Cuba’s days “are numbered” and envisioning a future where U.S. allies replace “narcoterrorist dictators.”
Trump also reignited controversy overseas, repeating his belief that the U.S. should control Greenland “from the standpoint of national security,” while issuing a warning to Iran over its handling of ongoing protests: “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”
International leaders pushed back swiftly. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned against intervention, while Petro publicly reaffirmed his authority over Colombia’s military. Denmark and Greenland rejected Trump’s annexation talk, with Greenland’s prime minister calling the idea a “fantasy.”
