Trump Threatens Another President with Military Invasion After Capturing the President of Venezuela
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Trump Threatens Another President with Military Invasion After Capturing the President of Venezuela

  • United States President Donald Trump escalated tensions in Latin America with a direct threat to Colombian leader Gustavo Petro, following a dramatic U.S. military raid in Venezuela
  • The operation saw Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro captured and flown to New York to face narco-terrorism charges
  • Colombia responded with sharp criticism and plans to reinforce its border as Trump stood by his explosive accusations

United States President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, telling him to “watch his a-ss or face possible military invasion.

The threat came just hours after American forces stormed Venezuela in a dramatic on January 3, 2026 raid and abducted President Nicolás Maduro.

Donald Trump issues chilling warning to Colombia’s Gustavo Petro after Venezuela raid. Maduro captured, charges filed in New York court.
U.S. military stormed Venezuela, seizing Nicolás Maduro. Trump warns Colombia’s Petro over co caine claims, sparking regional security concerns. Photo credit: Nicolas Maduro/Donald Trump/x
Source: Twitter

Speaking in a video shared by TRT News via X.com on January 3, Trump repeated his accusations against Colombia.

He said, “Well, he has co caine mills, he has factories where he makes co caine, and yeah, I think I stick by my first statement. He’s making co caine, they’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a-ss.” The remarks were made during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

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Colombia responds to U.S. military action in Venezuela

Earlier, President Petro condemned the invasion of Venezuela in a statement posted on his X page. He wrote, “The Government of the Republic of Colombia observes with deep concern the reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity recorded in recent hours in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the consequent escalation of tension in the region.”

In response to the U.S. operation, the Colombian government announced plans to strengthen its 2,219-kilometre eastern border with Venezuela. Petro also dismissed Trump’s claims, saying he “is not worried about anything” and invited the American leader to visit Colombia to witness how his government destroys co caine laboratories “one every 40 minutes, without missiles.”

Trump described the raid as “one of the most stunning displays of American military might since World War II.” The operation involved at least 150 aircraft conducting coordinated strikes across Venezuela. Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country. They now face charges in New York, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, co caine importation conspiracy and weapons offences.

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Breaking: US announces next step after invading Venezuela

Trump threatens Colombia after U.S. forces raid Venezuela, capturing Maduro. Petro vows resistance as tensions rise across Latin America.
Trump threatens Colombia after U.S. forces raid Venezuela, capturing Maduro. Petro vows resistance as tensions rise across Latin America. Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty
Source: Getty Images

Trump’s past threats against Nigeria

This was not the first time Trump had issued threats against foreign governments. On Christmas Day, he ordered airstrikes in Sokoto State after reaching an agreement with Nigeria’s Federal Government to target ISIS militants. In October, he had designated Nigeria “a country of particular concern” over religious freedom.

Trump later warned that if Nigeria failed to stop what he described as the killing of Christians, “the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists.”

See the video here.

US captures Venezuelan president and his wife

Legit.ng earlier reportd that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and removed from Venezuela early Saturday morning, January 3. This follows a large-scale strike by the United States, US President Donald Trump confirmed.

The operation, reportedly involving the US Army’s elite Delta Force unit, marked a dramatic escalation in US-Venezuelan tensions.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Basit Jamiu avatar

Basit Jamiu (Current Affairs and Politics Editor) Basit Jamiu is a journalist with more than five years of experience. He is a current affairs and politics editor at Legit.ng. He holds a bachelor's degree from Ekiti State University (2018). Basit previously worked as a staff writer at Ikeja Bird (2022), Associate Editor at Prime Progress (2022), and Staff Writer at The Movee (2018). He is a 2024 Open Climate Fellow (West Africa), 2023 MTN Media Fellow, OCRP Fellow at ICIR, and Accountability Fellow at CJID. Email: basit.jamiu@corp.legit.ng.

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