Rubio Calls Maduro Regime’s Behavior ‘Intolerable’ for the US

December 19, 2025, 5:44 PM UTC

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Venezuela’s cooperation with narco-traffickers and terrorists a direct threat to US national security but declined to say if the US is trying to push President Nicolas Maduro out of power.

Speaking to reporters at a year-end briefing on Friday, Rubio also cast doubt on negotiating with the Venezuelan leader, saying the US wouldn’t be able to do a deal with “these people any more than you can do a peace deal with the mafia.”

Even so, he declined to rule out the US pushing for regime change and wouldn’t say whether the US would ...

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