Maduro delivers an event speech in Caracas, November 21, 2025 (Getty)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded Monday to Donald Trump
Saying that it would be better for the US President to focus on internal issues instead of threatening Caracas. “It would be better for President Trump to focus on the economic and social issues in his country (…) and to take care of his country’s own affairs,” Maduro said in a speech broadcast on state television.
He added, “It is unreasonable for him to devote 70% of his speeches, statements, and time to Venezuela. What about the United States? The poor United States, which needs housing and jobs that must be provided? Let everyone take care of his country!” He continued, “Honestly, if I spoke to him (Trump) again, I would tell him: Let everyone take care of their own internal affairs. Here in Venezuela, we take care of our own affairs.”
Trump had said earlier Monday that it would be “wise” for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down from office. In response to a question from reporters at his home in Florida whether Washington’s threats to Caracas were aimed at ending Maduro’s 12-year presidency, Trump said, “It’s up to him to decide what he wants to do. I think it would be wise” for him to step down.
Earlier this month, Trump announced a blockade on sanctioned oil ships sailing to and from Venezuela, and US forces have confiscated two ships and pursued a third so far. This year, Washington intensified its pressure on Maduro through other means, accusing him of leading what is known as the “Sun Cartel,” which it classified as a “drug trafficking terrorist organization.” It also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
The United States has also mobilized a huge fleet of warships in the Caribbean Sea, including the largest aircraft carrier in the world, and in recent weeks it has carried out repeated sorties by military aircraft off the Venezuelan coast. US forces also carried out a series of strikes targeting boats that Washington suspects of being involved in drug smuggling in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, resulting in the destruction of about 30 ships and the killing of at least 104 people.
However, the US government did not provide conclusive evidence showing that the targeted ships were transporting drugs, while experts in international law considered that these strikes were likely “illegal.” The Trump administration insists that the goal of these strikes is to curb smuggling, but White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair magazine that the strikes aim to put pressure on Venezuela, explaining that the US President “wants to continue blowing up boats until Maduro acquiesces.” Caracas believes that the Trump administration is resorting to false accusations of drug trafficking in an effort to overthrow Maduro and control the country’s large oil resources.
(AFP, Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed)
