Following his attack on Venezuela and the capture of the nation’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, US President Donald Trump issued a subtle warning to Mexico, while also calling out Cuba and Colombia.
While announcing the capture of Maduro and his wife on Saturday, January 3, 2026, Trump clarified that the strike on Venezuela was not necessarily a warning for Mexico.
However, he also mentioned that “something’s going to have to be done” about the drug cartel domination in the country.
The 79-year-old alleged that while the US shares a good relationship with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, she does not have control over her nation.
“We’re very friendly with her, she’s a good woman. But the cartels are running Mexico — she’s not running Mexico,” Trump told Fox & Friends.
“I’ve asked her numerous times would you like us to take out the cartels. ‘No, no, no, Mr. President, no, no, no, please. So we have to do something,” he added.
Trump: “The cartels are running Mexico…I’ve asked [Claudia Sheinbaum] numerous times, ‘Would you like us to take out the cartels?’…We have to do something…Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico.” pic.twitter.com/ZI9G4eGyb9
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) January 3, 2026
Meanwhile, Sheinbaum released a statement saying Mexico “strongly condemns and rejects” US military action in Venezuela and requested the US to suspend “all acts of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum said:
“The government of Mexico vigorously condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally in recent hours by the armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,”… pic.twitter.com/BW16GhYX5R
— ᗰᗩƳᖇᗩ (@LePapillonBlu2) January 4, 2026
On the other hand, Trump had a similar warning for Colombian President Gustavo Petro. He claimed that the Latin American nation has at least three major factories of cocaine.
“He has cocaine mills, he has factories where he makes cocaine. And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement: He’s making cocaine,” Trump said about Petro. “They’re sending it to the United States. So he does have to watch his a–,” the President alleged.
The remarks came weeks after he called Petro a “troublemaker” and challenged him saying, “better watch it.” The Colombian President, meanwhile, sharply criticized the US operation in Venezuela.
“The Colombian Government rejects any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or put the civilian population at risk,” he wrote on X, in part.
“The country adopts a position oriented toward the preservation of regional peace, and makes an urgent call for de-escalation, exhorting all involved parties to refrain from actions that deepen the confrontation and to prioritize dialogue and diplomatic channels,” Petro added.
El Gobierno de la República de Colombia observa con profunda preocupación los reportes sobre explosiones y actividad aérea inusual registrados en las últimas horas en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, así como la consecuente escalada de tensión en la región.
Colombia…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 3, 2026
Donald Trump also called out Cuba and president Miguel Díaz-Canel by labeling it a “failing nation.” He said, “Cuba, as you know, is not doing very well right now.”
“The people there have suffered for many, many years, and I think Cuba is going to be something we’ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now,” the President mentioned.
“It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country,” the Republican leader of the nation shared.
