Marco Rubio declared President Trump will not be ‘suckered’ by Maduro like Biden

Secretary of State Marco Rubio harshly criticized the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an interview with “Hannity” magazine on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump intensified pressure on the leader to step down from power.

“The Maduro regime is not a legitimate government,” Rubio told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “This is a transit organization. It allows cocaine and other drugs produced in Colombia to be trafficked through Venezuelan territory and – with the cooperation of regime elements – is allowed to leave Venezuela on planes and ships bound for the United States.”

The Trump administration has continued attacks on alleged drug boats near Venezuela and expanded its military presence in the region.

RUBIO SAID VENEZUELA WILL FACE ‘SERIOUS AND INCREASING SANCTIONS’ IF IT DOES NOT ACCEPT ITS CITIZENS

“The President has authorized an anti-drug mission in the region,” Rubio said. “The fact that Maduro is upset about this situation shows that drugs are coming out of Venezuela.

The administration is moving ahead with plans to end the temporary protected status of approximately 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.

Rubio accused the Maduro regime of “open” collaboration with drug dealers and said his leadership was fueling instability in South America.

The Trump administration ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to the U.S. Southern Command, prompting Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to accuse Trump of “fabricating a new endless war.” (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images; Getty Images)

“The Venezuelan regime is the source of instability in the entire region,” he claimed. “As a result of the regime’s activities in their own countries, including the United States, more than eight million Venezuelans flocked to neighboring countries.”

US INCREASE WITH MADURO STOPS FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA

The former Florida senator claimed that the “problem” with Maduro stems from his habit of not honoring agreements.

“If you want to make a deal with him [Maduro]I don’t know how he did it. He broke every agreement he made…Maduro made five agreements with different parties in the last 10 years and he broke every single one,” Rubio told Fox News.

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro waves a sword said to belong to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a civil-military event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

The Secretary of State discussed a failed deal between former President Joe Biden and the Venezuelan leader that “no one is talking about.”

“Maduro asked [Biden] Rubio demanded that his nephews, who were convicted of drug trafficking, be released from U.S. prisons,” Rubio explained. “He demanded that the money laundering chief… be released from U.S. custody before he can be tried. In return, he promised to hold free and fair elections. He took back the nephews, the drug dealers, the bagger, and never had free and fair elections.”

“They fooled Joe Biden. They won’t fool Donald Trump,” he added.

President Trump recently announced that he had a phone call with Maduro. The Venezuelan leader has been warned by the president to step down from power or potentially face US military intervention.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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At a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Rubio praised President Trump’s foreign policy efforts, calling it one of the most “transformative” years in foreign policy since World War II.

Despite the difficulty of dealing with Maduro, Rubio said Trump will continue to try to solve this problem.

“The President is a unique figure in modern American history. He is willing to sit down, meet and talk with anyone,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you have to have someone you can actually make a deal with. We made a deal with the Chinese, but Maduro has never honored an agreement. That doesn’t mean the president won’t try.”