Trump says Cuba is ‘ready to fall,’ warns Colombia and Mexico after Maduro’s capture

Trump says Cuba is ‘ready to fall,’ warns Colombia and Mexico after Maduro’s capture

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said Cuba was “ready to fall,” just days after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic operation that has sharply escalated tensions across Latin America.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump claimed that Cuba’s economic collapse was accelerating following the disruption of Venezuelan oil supplies. “Cuba is ready to fall,” he said, adding that the island now has “no income” because it relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Trump also alleged that “a lot of Cubans were killed” during the US operation to seize Maduro, though he provided no further details.

Trump’s remarks came amid growing international backlash over the US action in Venezuela, which Washington has described as a law enforcement operation to bring Maduro to trial on “narcoterrorism” charges.

Maduro has denied the allegations, while critics argue the operation was aimed at asserting control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Despite Venezuela’s Supreme Court appointing Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader, Trump insisted the United States remains “in charge” of Venezuela and warned that US forces could return if the country “doesn’t behave.”

The US president also issued pointed warnings to other Latin American governments, including Colombia and Mexico. Referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro,

Trump described Colombia and Venezuela as “very sick” countries and accused the government in Bogotá of being run by “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” When asked whether he was suggesting a US operation against Colombia, Trump replied, “Sounds good to me.”

Petro responded with a sharp rebuke, urging Trump to “stop slandering” him and calling on Latin American nations to unite or risk being treated “as a servant and slave.” In posts on X, Petro said the United States had become “the first country in the world to bomb a South American capital in all of human history,” referring to the recent strikes on Caracas, while stressing that retaliation was not the answer.

Trump also warned Mexico to “get their act together” over drug trafficking, though he described Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as a “terrific person” and said he has repeatedly offered to send US troops to assist, citing the strength of criminal cartels.

The comments have drawn widespread condemnation. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain issued a joint statement expressing “profound concern” and rejecting what they called unilateral US military action in Venezuela as a violation of international law and “a dangerous precedent for peace and regional security.”

Analysts say Trump’s rhetoric reflects a broader push to reassert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere under his so-called “Don-roe Doctrine,” raising fears of further instability even if the threats are ultimately intended as coercive pressure rather than imminent action.