Tag: donald trump

‘Sounds Good to Me’: Trump Signals Possible Military Operation Against Colombia’s Marxist Leader — Months After Gustavo Petro Mocked U.S. and Dared Arrest: ‘Try and See If You Can!’

President Donald Trump delivered a blunt and unmistakable warning on Sunday to Colombia’s far-left president Gustavo Petro, openly signaling that a U.S. military operation is not off the table.

Back in November, Colombian President Gustavo Petro dared the U.S. to arrest him, claiming that his people would rise up in his defense.

Petro, a former left-wing terrorist who is presiding over Colombia’s enormous drug trade, was a close ally of Maduro and has been left devastated by his removal.

“And so I have to tell Mr. Marco Rubio, brother, if you’re going to put me in prison, try and see if you can. If you want to put me in the orange jumpsuit, try it. But this people will not kneel before anyone. No Colombian is guilty of what happened to your grandfather or your father in Cuba.

Do not threaten us, for there is a jaguar about to awaken. Two centuries of going from war to war have taught us indigenous shrewdness. If the people freely wish to return to paramilitary rule, we have no choice but to obey. If they want to talk, let them come and speak as equals.

Tell the president of the Inter-American Development Bank that his money will not enter into Colombia’s elections. The people of Colombia are not for sale.”

Keep reading

Inside Job? Reports Suggest New Venezuela’s Interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, Negotiated With the US the Removal of Maduro, With the Mediation of UAE

Did Rodríguez betray Maduro?

Now that Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has been captured by US forces and taken to the US to answer for the alleged crimes he is charged with, many are keeping an eye on the ‘day after’ in the South American country.

Many are surprised that Caracas will not be led by Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Prize Winner María Corina Machado, but rather by Maduro’s Vice-President, Delcy Rodríguez.

But reports have arisen that may solve this apparent puzzle.

Secret meetings are said to have been held in Doha, UAE, involving Rodríguez, a senior member of the UAE royal family serving as a mediator, and members of the Donald J. Trump administration.

The Telegraph reported:

“Ms. Rodríguez had reached out to Washington to present herself as a ‘more acceptable’ alternative to the Maduro regime. She now rules Venezuela with the approval of Mr. Trump.

Details of the meeting have fueled suspicions that the removal of Mr. Maduro was an inside job, planned to leave a president in power who can manage a transition without dismantling the state completely and causing turmoil and riots.”

Keep reading

Ex-Trump staffer hints at US plans to annex Greenland

A former US administration official and the wife of a senior aide to President Donald Trump has suggested that Washington will “soon” take over Greenland in a cryptic social media post.

In a post on X on Saturday, Katie Miller shared a map of Greenland overlaid with the American flag and captioned simply with the word “soon.” The post offered no explanation and was not accompanied by any official policy announcement from Washington.

Trump first proposed buying Greenland, an autonomous territory within Denmark, in 2019, a plan swiftly rejected by Copenhagen and Greenland’s authorities. Since returning to office last year, he has revived the idea, calling the island vital to US national security and hinting at the possible use of force. Denmark has responded by strengthening Arctic defenses and expanding military and civilian monitoring, viewing the pressure as a direct threat to its sovereignty.

Keep reading

Senate to vote on war powers measure following Maduro ouster

Sen. Tim Kaine said he will force a vote next week to block further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval in the wake of President Donald Trump’s operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Kaine, who has so far been unable to get Congress to stop Trump’s Latin American military operations, called the move to oust Maduro without congressional approval “a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate” the Western Hemisphere.

“My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week,” Kaine said in a statement. “We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape.”

Test vote

While the vote, which will occur when the Senate returns from its holiday break, comes after the fact, it would require Trump to seek congressional approval for further attacks if enacted.

The vote will also be a key test of support among Republicans for Trump’s aggressive move. While previous efforts to restrict Trump have failed for lack of GOP support, the administration’s actions could sway some Republicans who have expressed concerns about heightened tensions with Venezuela.

Kaine told reporters on a Saturday call that Republicans “cannot pretend anymore” that Trump’s rhetoric was just a “bluff” or a “negotiating tactic.”

“That makes me hope that we’ll get more votes on the resolution,” Kaine said, adding that it was time for Congress to “get its ass off the couch” on its own warmaking authority.

Administration officials may have to work to keep skeptical Republicans onside, and top Republicans say they expect to be briefed when they return to Washington.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects “further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy.” House Speaker Mike Johnson added that the Trump administration is working to schedule briefings for lawmakers when they return.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with Kaine on Saturday about his war powers vote and that Democrats would be trying to build public pressure on Republicans to break ranks.

“We are saying to the Republicans, this is your responsibility,” Schumer told reporters. “President Trump is a member of your party. You’ve gone along with him over and over again. This is one time you got to resist him. It’s too serious.”

Keep reading

Trump Says America Will TAKE CONTROL of ‘Stolen’ Oil After Socialist Dictator Maduro Captured — Radical Socialist Democrats Melt Down

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States will take control of Venezuela’s long-mismanaged oil sector, following the stunning capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The narco-tyrant, who has turned the once-prosperous nation into a hellhole of drugs, corruption, and poverty, was nabbed in a pinpoint U.S. operation that’s already being hailed as a masterstroke against global criminal networks.

The Venezuelan regime issued a statement rejecting the “military aggression” and invoking the UN Charter. They claim it’s all about seizing oil and minerals after Maduro wrecked it all.

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely grave military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population in the civilian and military districts of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.

This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, particularly its Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of States, and the prohibition on the use of force.

Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, specifically in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people in grave danger.

The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force. They will not succeed.

After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.

The attempt to impose a colonial war to destroy the republican form of government and force a “regime change,” in alliance with the fascist oligarchy, will fail just like all previous attempts. Since 1811, Venezuela has faced and defeated empires.

When in 1902 foreign powers bombarded our coasts, President Cipriano Castro proclaimed: “The insolent boot of the foreigner has profaned the sacred soil of the Fatherland.” Today, with the moral fortitude of Bolívar, Miranda, and our liberators, the Venezuelan people rise once again to defend their independence against imperialist aggression.”

The attack came after Maduro held a meeting with a senior Chinese envoy. Maduro welcomed Qiu Xiaoqi, China’s special representative for Latin American affairs, to the Miraflores Presidential Palace on Friday, where the two reaffirmed Caracas’ strategic alignment with Beijing.

Speaking from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, President Trump said the chaos and corruption that have defined Venezuela for decades will not be allowed to repeat itself.

Keep reading

Trump Doubles Down, Says Gustavo Petro “Does Have to Watch His Ass” After Threatening to Take Action Against Cocaine Factories

President Trump on Saturday doubled down on past threats to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, saying that he should “watch his ass” after Trump ordered strikes inside Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, signaling possible actions against Colombia next.

The US military executed strikes and a ground invasion to capture Maduro and his wife on Saturday at approximately 2 am local time, and they were taken prisoner on board the USS Iwo Jima. Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges of Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States, the Gateway Pundit reported.

As The Gateway Pundit reported last month, Trump told reporters that Petro needs to “watch his ass” and close the cocaine factories, which “we know where they are,” he said, while making an announcement on shipbuilding at Mar-a-Lago.

WATCH:

Trump: He has to watch, because, you know, he’s got drug factories. They make cocaine in Colombia, and he’s no friend of the United States. He’s very bad, very bad guy, and he’s got to watch his ass, because he makes cocaine and they send it into the United States of America from Colombia. We love the Colombian people. I love the Colombian people. They’re great people, energetic, smart, great, but their new leader is a troublemaker, and he better watch it. They better close up those cocaine factories. They have at least three major cocaine factories. We know where they are. He better close them up fast.

Keep reading

Trump Ending Automatic Green Cards for Migrants Marrying U.S. Citizens

Immigration lawyers are warning that federal agencies are increasingly skeptical when migrants claim to have legitimate marriages with Americans.

The policy shift comes after President Donald Trump’s deputies began cracking down on rising rates of marriage-related visa fraud by migrants who pay Americans for temporary marriages.

While marrying a U.S. citizen has never been a locked-in guarantee that a migrant would be issued a green card, marriages have previously offered a huge boost to a migrant’s request for legal status. But that may be changing as immigration attorneys are finding that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are giving such marriages much closer scrutiny than ever before.

Immigration attorney Brad Bernstein of Spar & Bernstein is warning his clients that marrying a U.S. citizen is no longer the near-guarantee of legal residence for foreign nationals, NDTV reported.

One new wrinkle in requests for marriage-related green cards is residency. The Trump administration is prioritizing a shared domicile for the migrant and the U.S. citizen, a requirement that was not prioritized in the past. Bernstein says.

“Immigration officers do not care why you live apart, and they do not care if it’s for work, school, money, or convenience,” the attorney added.

“So, if you’re not living in the same house every day, immigration is going to start questioning the marriage. And once they question it, they’re investigating, and once they come knocking on your door, they’re looking to deny you. So, if you want a marriage green card, you live together. Period,” he explained.

USCIS has warned migrants that a marriage to a U.S. citizen has to be real, not just an arrangement of convenience. And the agency will deny green cards to those who married with “no good faith, intent to live together as spouses and intended to circumvent immigration laws.”

In November, the Trump administration even suggested that migrants who already hold green cards could find their status reexamined and reassessed.

In a message posted on Thanksgiving Day, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced, “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

“The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non-negotiable,” he continued.

Keep reading

UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting at Colombia’s Request with Russia and China’s Support – Maduro Also Expected in Court Monday

The United Nations Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting at the request of Colombia, Russia, and China to discuss the United States’ operation in Venezuela, which ended in the capture of Nicolas Maduro. 

Colombia reportedly requested the meeting, with support from Russia and China, the BBC reported.

“The attendees have not yet been confirmed, but may include the UN Secretary-General António Guterres,” per the BBC.

The US military executed strikes and a ground invasion to capture Maduro and his wife on Saturday at approximately 2 am local time, and they were taken prisoner on board the USS Iwo Jima.

Maduro was indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges of Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States, the Gateway Pundit reported.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump earlier told reporters that Colombia’s Gustavo Petro needs to “watch his ass” because of the cocaine factories in his country, seemingly warning him of similar operations in Colombia.

Trump has also floated the idea of striking Colombian cocaine factories and launching strikes into Mexico to stop the cartels, saying, “I would be proud to do it, personally.”

Keep reading

Trump issues thinly veiled warning to Mexico, slams Cuba, Colombia after US strikes Venezuela, arrests Maduro

President Trump issued a thinly-veiled warning to Mexico’s president Saturday while announcing the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro Saturday.

Trump, who also had strong words for the leaders of Colombia and Cuba,  said the attack on Venezuela wasn’t meant to be a warning for Mexico, but said “something’s going to have to be done” about the cartel-run country.

Trump has clashed with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo over trade tariffs, and blamed the US neighbor for allowing illegal immigration and narcotics to flow across the southern border.

“We’re very friendly with her, she’s a good woman,” Trump told Fox & Friends Saturday. “But the cartels are running Mexico — she’s not running Mexico.”

Sheinbaum said Mexico “strongly condemns and rejects” US military action in Venezuela and urged the US to end “all acts of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people,” in a statement released Saturday.

Trump also doubled down on his warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Keep reading

Trump: U.S. Will ‘Run’ Venezuela Until ‘Proper Transition Can Take Place’

President Donald Trump announced the United States will “run” Venezuela until the time allows for a “judicious transition” just hours after American forces captured the country’s now-former dictator, Nicolás Maduro, in operation “Absolute Resolve.”

Trump made the announcement during a highly anticipated press conference at Mar-a-Lago while flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years,” Trump said.

He added that an eventual transition “has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about.”

“We want peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country. It’s their homeland,” he said.

Trump emphasized that the risk of a Maduro-like figure gaining power now cannot be taken.

“We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind…we’re not going to let that happen,” the president said.

He reiterated, “We’re there now, but we’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place… We‘re going to run it, essentially, until such time as a proper transition can take place.”

“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” Trump said at the presser.

Trump announced the capture of Maduro, who administration officials say was the head of the Cartel of the Suns, and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday morning on Truth Social, and subsequently shared a picture of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima in American custody.

Keep reading