Trump : administration portrays Maduro’s detention as an attempt to resist competing forces and regain control

Trump: The arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was presented by the Trump administration as a part of a larger initiative to counter the increasing influence of China, Russia, and Iran in Latin America and restore US supremacy in the Western Hemisphere.

“The operation sends a clear signal to global rivals that Washington will no longer tolerate hostile powers embedding themselves in the region,” said Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, on Fox News.

In an appearance with Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Waltz said, “The Chinese are moving incredibly aggressively into the Western Hemisphere,” citing investments in ports, railroads, energy assets, and food supply chains.

According to Waltz, Venezuela has developed into a crucial location for US enemies, providing governmental support for terrorist organizations and criminal networks. He compared organizations with ties to Venezuela to state-sponsored terrorist organizations, saying on Fox News, “These aren’t our grandfather’s mafias.”

In many Sunday broadcasts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that framing. Rubio said on ABC News’ This Week that the US will no longer let hostile groups to exploit Latin America as a base of operations.

Rubio told ABC News, “We will not permit the Western Hemisphere to serve as a base of operations for the United States’ enemies, rivals, and competitors.”

According to Rubio, the breakdown of Venezuela and the growth of foreign influence were largely caused by the country’s oil business. He said that instead of going to the people, oil profits were going to foreign partners and elites on NBC’s Meet the Press.

Rubio said on NBC that “that wealth is stolen” and that the demise of the oil industry had contributed to the surge in mass migration.

Eight to nine million Venezuelans have fled the nation since 2014, according to Rubio, who told NBC News that this is one of the biggest migrant surges in contemporary history. “That directly affects us,” he said.

According to the government, the concerns of drug trafficking, migration, and foreign military influence are intertwined. Rubio said on CBS News’ Face the Nation that Iran, Hezbollah, and criminal groups now use Venezuela as a crossroads.

Rubio told CBS News, “That simply won’t exist in our hemisphere.”

According to commentators on CNN’s GPS, the operation marks a substantial change in the direction of US unilateral operations in the area. Rivals may now reconsider Washington’s potential actions abroad, according to former officials.

The Council on Foreign Relations’ president emeritus, Richard Haass, said on CNN that the move may change international standards. It aroused concerns about precedent and the use of force, according to Zanny Minton Beddoes, chief editor of The Economist.

The government brushed such worries aside. Decisive action restores credibility and deterrence, according to Waltz on Fox News.

He said, “This is about safeguarding our backyard.”

US officials admitted that discussions over sovereignty and international law are likely to take place at the UN. Washington is ready to justify its actions, according to Waltz.

He said, “This is our hemisphere.” “And we will no longer overlook its threats.”