Newsweek, January 2025
Puerto Rico’s governor has called on President-elect Donald Trump to respond after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called for an invasion of the island territory. Maduro’s comments were an “open threat to the United States and our national security,” Jenniffer González-Colón wrote in a post on X on Monday. “I sent a letter to President @realDonaldTrump, trusting his administration will swiftly respond and make clear to the Maduro narco-regime that the U.S. will protect American lives and sovereignty and won’t bow down to petty, murderous thugs.” Newsweek has contacted the Trump transition team, the Puerto Rico governor’s office, and the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington for comment via email outside office hours.
On Friday, the U.S. announced a $25 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction. The next day, Maduro called for Puerto Rico to be liberated from the U.S while speaking at the International Anti-Fascist Festival in Caracas. “The freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we will achieve it with Brazilian troops,” he said. Trump has history with Puerto Rico. During his first term, he had a problematic relationship with Puerto Rican officials, resisted sending aid after the island was devastated by hurricanes and tossed paper towels into a crowd during a visit after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Last October, a comedian called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” during a Trump rally, sparking outrage.
