President Donald Trump has delivered a blunt message to Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and his inner circle: cooperate with the United States—or step aside.
Fox News senior foreign correspondent Benjamin Hall revealed Sunday that Trump personally warned Maduro’s allies that they must either “surrender or play ball,” underscoring what the administration describes as a decisive shift away from diplomacy and toward direct action.
According to Hall, President Trump spoke directly with Maduro roughly a week before Saturday’s strike in Caracas. During that call, Trump reportedly issued a clear ultimatum demanding Maduro’s surrender. Maduro, Trump said, “was not willing.”
Hall noted that while Maduro has now been removed, several senior figures within the Venezuelan regime remain aligned with him, presenting an ongoing challenge for U.S. policymakers seeking stability in the region and an end to what they describe as narco-terrorist activity emanating from the country.
That message was reinforced by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who made clear that the Trump administration has no intention of tolerating continued obstruction from Venezuela’s remaining leadership.
“President Trump is done negotiating. He proved that a couple of days ago, that he is a man of action, that when someone is threatening the United States, he will defend it with every resource that we have, and he’ll continue to do that,” Noem said on Fox News Sunday.
Noem explained that Trump’s communications with Venezuela’s vice president were deliberately direct and unambiguous.
“His conversations now with the vice president in Venezuela are very matter-of-fact and very clear: ‘You can lead, or you can get out of the way because we’re not going to allow you to continue to subvert our American influence and our need to have a free country like Venezuela to work with rather than to have dictators in place who perpetuate crimes and drug trafficking,’” she said.
Her remarks followed the Trump administration’s high-profile operation on Saturday that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro—an unprecedented move that sparked intense debate in Washington. While Democrats and some Republicans raised questions about the legality of the action and the long-term implications for Venezuela, supporters of the operation argued it sent a long-overdue message to hostile regimes.
The operation capped months of U.S. efforts to dismantle what officials describe as a network of narcoterrorism tied to the Venezuelan government. Those efforts included strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels operating in Caribbean waters and increased enforcement against illicit oil shipments.
Noem pointed to those actions as further proof that the administration is committed to protecting American security interests and cutting off financial lifelines to adversarial governments.
“The Coast Guard has been heavily involved in stopping a lot of this shadow fleet of oil that has been trafficking illegally to many of our enemies in other countries,” she said.
Administration officials argue that Venezuela’s instability has long fueled drug trafficking, mass migration, and regional insecurity, and that decisive action was necessary after years of what they view as failed appeasement. Supporters say Trump’s approach represents a return to peace through strength—using American power to deter threats before they reach U.S. shores.
Hopefully they leave Venezuela for good.