Hours after the U.S. invaded Venezuela to seize President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump warned that Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia could be next, framing the attack as part of his revived interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine and signalling a willingness to put “boots on the ground” in the region.
Trump said Cuba was a failing nation and suggested the U.S. intervention in Venezuela should concern Havana, adding that Washington wants to help both Cubans on the island and those who fled to the United States, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban officials should be “concerned.”
The Cuban Embassy did not respond to requests for comment, but Trump also escalated his rhetoric toward Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of overseeing cocaine production and warning him to “watch his ass.” Petro, an ally of Maduro, has accused Trump of violating the United Nations’ founding principles and claimed U.S. strikes off Venezuela’s coast targeted civilians.
Trump further suggested action may be needed against Mexico, alleging on Fox & Friends that drug cartels, not President Claudia Sheinbaum, effectively run the country. He claimed Sheinbaum is afraid of the cartels and has repeatedly rejected U.S. offers to dismantle them directly.
In response to the Venezuela operation, Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba were among the countries condemning the U.S. action as a threat to regional stability. Mexican officials emphasised Latin America as a zone of peace, Petro called for respect for international law and human dignity, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the attack as cowardly and criminal.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum
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