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Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro rallied his supporters on Tuesday during a march in the country’s capital, Caracas. Dressed in camouflage fatigues and brandishing a sword, Maduro vowed to protect his homeland from any possible U.S. threat. His defiant stance comes as tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. have reached a seemingly critical level, with the latter expanding its military presence in the Caribbean Sea. Since September, the Trump Administration has launched over 20 strikes on boats it alleges are smuggling narcotics, killing at least 80 people.
“We must be ready to defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat or aggression, no matter where it comes from,” Maduro told his cheering supporters. “There is no excuse for anyone to fail at this decisive moment, for the existence of the Republic, no excuse.”
It’s thought the sword held by Maduro once belonged to the late military officer Simon Bolivar, who played a key role in securing Venezuela’s independence.
Maduro’s public rallying cry against any international threat comes amid escalating friction with the U.S.
The U.S. Department of State on Monday officially designated the Cartel de los Soles, “headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime,” as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).” A statement authored by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a key figure in the U.S.-Venezuela tensions—said “neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government.”
The Trump Administration, much like the Biden Administration before them, does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Maduro became President of Venezuela following Hugo Chavez’s death in 2013. He was sworn in for a third term in January, despite widespread concern over the legitimacy of the country’s election results.
Trump has previously claimed the Venezuelan cartel Tren De Aragua is under the control of…
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