DONALD Trump has threatened possible military action against Colombia as he warned Venezuela’s new leader she could face consequences “probably bigger than Maduro”.
Don’s warnings came as the captured Venezuelan tyrant prepares to appear in a US courtroom on Monday.
Trump also reignited fears of US expansionism by insisting Washington “needs” Greenland, refusing to rule out force to secure the strategically important Arctic territory.
Nicolás Maduro is due to make his first appearance in a US federal court in New York on Monday after being seized by American forces in a surprise weekend operation in Caracas.
The toppled despot, who has denied all wrongdoing, is expected before a Manhattan judge at noon on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
His wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured and faces similar federal charges.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media on Saturday that Maduro and Flores “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts”.
US prosecutors allege Maduro used his position over more than two decades to facilitate the flow of cocaine into the United States.
Read the latest on Maduro’s capture…
The accusations were first filed during Trump’s first term and updated following his capture.
As the court appearance looms, Trump dramatically escalated his rhetoric on Sunday, warning Venezuela’s incoming leader Delcy Rodríguez that she could meet an even harsher fate if she fails to cooperate with Washington.
Trump told The Atlantic in a phone interview: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president and is backed by Venezuela’s Supreme Court and military, is expected to be sworn in as interim president in Caracas on Monday morning.
She has publicly called for cooperation with the US but has also rejected claims that Venezuela would hand over control of its natural resources.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of co-operation orientated towards shared development within the framework of international law,” Rodríguez said at her first cabinet meeting.
Trump, however, suggested the United States is already in control.
“Don’t ask me who’s in charge because I’ll give you a very controversial answer,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“It means we’re in charge.”
He added that US oil companies would move back into Venezuela to rebuild its energy sector, saying: “They’re going to spend billions of dollars and they’re going to take the oil out of the ground.”
The president also left open the possibility of further US strikes in Venezuela if the new leadership does not comply with American demands to curb drug trafficking and open the oil industry.
At the same time, Trump widened his threats to Venezuela’s neighbours, singling out Colombia during remarks on Air Force One.
“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.
Asked if military action was an option, he replied: “It sounds good to me.”
US and media sources have suggested Maduro’s public displays in recent weeks helped harden Washington’s resolve.
From bus driver to captured president – who is Nicolas Maduro?
MADURO, 63, has been Venezuela’s president since 2013 when he took over from Hugo Chavez – widely considered to be his mentor.
Born in Caracas, the hard-left leader was a bus driver before he started his political career in Venezuela.
He became a trade union leader and then later served as Chavez’s foreign minister and vice president.
Maduro was narrowly elected president after Chavez died of cancer.
Unlike Chavez, a hugely popular leader during his reign, Maduro is far from a man of the people.
He is widely considered an authoritarian leader and is seen by many in the West as a tyrant.
He was in charge when Venezuela’s economy collapsed in the 2010s, has brutally cracked down on any protesters and is accused of election rigging.
The US claims both the 2018 and 2024 national elections should be voided due to the interference claims.
In recent years, tensions have ramped up between Maduro and America for several reasons, with drugs and migration being the main two.
In 2018, militants attempted to assassinate Maduro by sending explosives-laden drones over the top of a rally he was addressing on a Caracas avenue.
He was seen singing and dancing at public events, behaviour reportedly interpreted by Trump allies as mockery and nonchalance in the face of repeated US warnings.
According to reports, the performances were viewed as an attempt to call Trump’s bluff, and became a final trigger for action.
Maduro appeared unfazed after his arrest, telling officers “Happy New Year” during a perp walk and flashing peace signs as he arrived in New York.
He is currently being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, infamous for housing inmates like El Chapo, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Meanwhile, in the same interview with The Atlantic, Trump fuelled fresh concerns about US expansionism, saying Washington “needs” Greenland and declining to rule out the use of force to secure the strategically important Arctic territory.
“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump said.
“We need it for defence.”
Trump claimed the island was “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships”, adding that its control was essential to US national security.
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