On Friday, that clamor was met by none other than Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, who stole the show at a White House press conference. He highlighted his administration’s use of the U.S. military against Venezuelan drug cartels. While meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump revealed that Nicolás Maduro, the controversial leader of Venezuela, offered significant concessions to ease tensions with the U.S.
In a strange twist of fate, Trump dropped some salty language to show just how badly he wants to see Maduro go. He claimed that the Venezuelan leader had offered “everything in his country, all the natural resources” to mitigate the ongoing conflict. His comments featured a veiled, though pretty blatant, threat, saying that Maduro doesn’t “want to fuck with the United States.”
Trump’s comments come as the U.S. escalates military operations against supposed drug trafficking operations by Venezuelan cartels. The state of play is approaching a breaking point. The U.S. has confirmed carrying out at least five strikes on vessels near Venezuela, purportedly transporting drugs, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people. The sixth strike on Thursday hit a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean. Today’s news is filled with survivor accounts from its crew.
Rather, Trump explained these military efforts through the lens of the U.S. being in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. He relied on legal authority comparable to that wielded during the George W. Bush administration’s post-9/11 war on terror. He stated, “We attacked a submarine. That was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs – just so you understand.”
The military strikes have alarmed members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. Other irked Republicans have said they needed to get more information about how the new operations would work. The sharply divided reactions indicate an increasing discomfort with the tactics being used by the Trump White House.
Juanita Goebertus Estrada, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, condemned the strikes in no uncertain terms. She claimed that they contravene international human rights law and may amount to extrajudicial executions. She stressed that authorities need to avoid injury at the highest possible standard under human rights law. Lethal force should only be used when it is strictly unavoidable to protect against imminent threats.
“The US is not engaged in an armed conflict with Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, or with alleged criminal groups involved. Under human rights law standards, officials engaging in law enforcement must seek to minimize injury and preserve human life.” – Juanita Goebertus Estrada
Throughout his speech, Trump painted a bleak picture of growing international chaos. He was particularly dismissive of the current proxy war between Israel and Iran—saying they’d “been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” This quip is a perfect example of Trump’s tendency to use absurd hyperbole to stoke ire at all things involving foreign policy.
The implications of Trump’s comments and military strategies raise questions about U.S. foreign policy direction and its impact on international relations. Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela are at a blistering high. Yet the long-term effects of these developments on how people engage in the future remain unknown.