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.
Although both Cuba and Venezuela accused the U.S. of “piracy,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the illicit tanker was transporting oil to Iran and therefore the seizure was entirely lawful.
Trump fired off a Truth Social Post Tuesday evening, saying the blockade would remain in effect until Maduro returns “the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 06:46 PM EST 12/16/25 pic.twitter.com/2no43HzSGt
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 17, 2025
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.
Since early fall, the United States has significantly expanded its naval and Coast Guard presence in the Caribbean, with U.S. Southern Command stating that the buildup is designed to disrupt drug trafficking routes, enforce sanctions, and protect American national security interests.
🚨 BREAKING: In a MASSIVE move, President Trump orders an OIL TANKER BLOCKADE on Venezuela, saying they are “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America”
Maduro is FAFOing 🔥🔥🔥
“It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will… pic.twitter.com/BAVs7EvatO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 16, 2025
READ MORE: Terrorism Law Now Unleashed: Feds Unseal Tanker Seizure Order
‘Dark Fleet’ Tanker Seized Near Venezuela Ran Sanctioned Oil to China, Says House Committee
Trump’s post continued:
Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.
They have robbed us, he said, and have sent the worst of their worst to our shores along with drugs that are killing our citizens. Because of those transgressions, the president announced he’s designating the regime a Foreign Terrorist Organization:
The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) endorsed Trump’s aggressive stance:
.@POTUS, @SecRubio, and @SecWar are absolutely right to stop Maduro and his thugs from sending deadly drugs into our nation to kill our kids.
Maduro is not the legitimate president of Venezuela — he’s a narcoterrorist who wants to harm our country. pic.twitter.com/OPfLpBrb98
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) December 16, 2025
It would appear that Maduro’s days as president of Venezuela are numbered. As Trump concluded in his tweet, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Maduro might want to pay attention, too.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America’s military.
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