US President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, warning that the president's only way out of a potential US invasion is to leave the country immediately. The stark message was allegedly conveyed during a phone call between the two leaders in late November.
According to sources quoted by the Miami Herald, Trump's conversation with Maduro was marked by a clear and direct tone, with the US president reportedly saying: "Resign right away" and "You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now." The idea, as stated by Trump, is that if Maduro were to step down, he and his allies could avoid any potential danger or reprisal from a US-led operation.
However, sources close to Maduro have claimed that the Venezuelan president rejected this ultimatum. Instead, Maduro allegedly sought "global amnesty" for himself and his allies, in an attempt to buy time and secure a more favorable outcome. When Trump refused to extend a hand of cooperation, Maduro reportedly asked for another round of talks.
The implications of this exchange remain murky. It's unclear whether Trump is genuinely planning to use military force to oust Maduro's government or if the US president simply wants to make good on his repeated threats against Venezuela. In recent months, Trump has accused the Venezuelan leader of facilitating the smuggling of fentanyl into the US and has even launched extrajudicial missile attacks on boats suspected of carrying illicit drugs.
Despite this apparent toughening of stance, it's unclear whether Trump is prepared to follow through with his words or if he will find a way to back down from an intervention that could spark international chaos.
According to sources quoted by the Miami Herald, Trump's conversation with Maduro was marked by a clear and direct tone, with the US president reportedly saying: "Resign right away" and "You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now." The idea, as stated by Trump, is that if Maduro were to step down, he and his allies could avoid any potential danger or reprisal from a US-led operation.
However, sources close to Maduro have claimed that the Venezuelan president rejected this ultimatum. Instead, Maduro allegedly sought "global amnesty" for himself and his allies, in an attempt to buy time and secure a more favorable outcome. When Trump refused to extend a hand of cooperation, Maduro reportedly asked for another round of talks.
The implications of this exchange remain murky. It's unclear whether Trump is genuinely planning to use military force to oust Maduro's government or if the US president simply wants to make good on his repeated threats against Venezuela. In recent months, Trump has accused the Venezuelan leader of facilitating the smuggling of fentanyl into the US and has even launched extrajudicial missile attacks on boats suspected of carrying illicit drugs.
Despite this apparent toughening of stance, it's unclear whether Trump is prepared to follow through with his words or if he will find a way to back down from an intervention that could spark international chaos.
! HE NEEDS TO GROW UP AND STOP TALKING LIKE A MAFIA DON 
. IT'S NOT ABOUT "RESIGN RIGHT AWAY" OR "YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF"... IT'S ABOUT RESPECT FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
. MADURO IS FIGHTING FOR HIS COUNTRY AND HIS PEOPLE, NOT BECAUSE HE'S A BAD GUY, BUT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SERVE THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE 
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? NEWS FLASH, TRUMP: BEING A PRESIDENT ISN'T JUST ABOUT WAVING YOUR FISTS AND ISSUING THREATS... IT'S ABOUT LEADING WITH INTENSITY, NOT AGGRESSION 
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what's the real goal here? is trump just posturing or genuinely planning some kind of invasion? and what about the 'global amnesty' thing - is that even possible? 
Maduro's getting some kinda reprieve, but at what cost? it feels like we're stuck in a weird limbo.
and on the other hand Maduro's gotta be careful too - one wrong move and he'll be in big trouble 
OMG u guys i cant even believe what's goin on with venezuela!! so trump just threatened maduro and told him to quit lol like wut is this?? "resign right now"?? more like "get outta here" 
but for real tho, who does he think he is? Maduro rejected the ultimatum tho which i guess makes sense if ur in a power struggle with someone u dont wanna lose control over 
what about the people of venezuela tho? r they even heard from trump about this?? like, whats goin on with that? 
. i mean, can you blame him? a us-led invasion would be devastating for the people of venezuela. trump's just being his usual unpredictable self 
. will he really go through with it or is this all just posturing? we'll have to wait and see