Trump warns of second military action in Venezuela if interim leadership fails to comply with US demands
After declaring that the United States was effectively “in charge” after the dramatic seizure of President Nicols Maduro, Trump said the United States was focused on “getting Venezuela fixed” and would not hesitate to act again.
US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez may have to pay a bigger price than ousted leader Nicolas Maduro "if she doesn't do what's right." He also warned of a fresh military intervention in Venezuela, saying Washington is prepared to launch a “second wave” of attacks if the country’s interim leadership fails to comply with American demands.
Trump warns of second military action in Venezuela
It should be noted that Rodriguez served as Maduro's vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuela's oil-dependent economy and its feared intelligence service, and was next in the presidential line of succession. "If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," Trump said during an interview with The Atlantic magazine.
Apart from this, he also defended his decision to take Maduro by force. "You know, rebuilding there and regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can't get any worse," he was quoted as saying in the telephone interview held after he arrived at his West Palm Beach golf course in Florida.
Trump says US was focused on “getting Venezuela fixed”
After declaring that the United States was effectively “in charge” after the dramatic seizure of President Nicols Maduro, Trump said the United States was focused on “getting Venezuela fixed” and would not hesitate to act again.
On the US attack on Venezuela's capital, Trump said, "... One of the helicopters got hit pretty badly, but we got everything back, and nobody was killed... Don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial... It means we're in charge... It is a dead country right now. It's a country that we would have been if I had lost the elections. We would have been a dead country, like Venezuela on steroids. We need big investments from the oil companies to bring back the infrastructure. The oil companies are ready to go and rebuild the infrastructure. We built it to start off with many years ago. They took it away. You can't do that. You can't do that with me. They did it with other Presidents... The country is a mess. It's been horribly run. The oil is flowing at a very low level..."
Trump says it was a very dangerous operation
On the US attack on Venezuela's capital, Trump said, "I knew the possible danger, it was a very dangerous operation. We had a few injured, but all are in good shape right now...One of the helicopters got hit pretty badly, but we got everything back, and nobody was killed.”
On being asked whether Operation Absolute Resolve was about oil or regime change, Trump says, "It's about peace on Earth. We've got to have peace. It's our hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine was very important when it was done, and other Presidents, a lot of them, lost sight of it. I didn't..."
Also Read: