Donald Trump upped the ante in his war of words — and drug boat strikes — with Venezuelan dictator and alleged drug kingpin Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday. First, the U.S. seized a large Venezuelan oil tanker off the coast on December 10, and now the president is calling for “a total and complete blockade” of sanctioned tankers entering or leaving the South American country.
The commander in chief, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been dramatically amping up the pressure on Venezuela and have made it clear that they want Maduro removed from power.
The tanker seizure marked one of the most visible actions in a steady ramp-up of U.S. pressure on Venezuela over recent weeks and months, as the Trump administration restored a hard-line strategy aimed at cutting off revenue to the Maduro government.
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