Things got a little fiery at the White House today during President Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, but it had nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.
Before the two presidents and other cabinet members had lunch, a reporter asked Trump about something I touched on yesterday: the rumors going around that Venezuela's illegitimate president, Nicolás Maduro, has offered Trump everything he possibly can from his country, including, oil, gold, and other minerals, in exchange for the United States backing off and allowing him to stay in power, even though he lost last year's election and is basically holding the country hostage. That didn't go over so well with the Trump administration.
Maduro is, after all, a wanted fugitive in the US., and we've been blowing up the narco-terrorist's little drug boats in the Caribbean. His desperate was reportedly part of diplomatic talks with Richard Grenell, which the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio put an end to earlier this month.
The president confirmed that this information was correct, and he didn't mince words when it came to Maduro. He told the reporter:
He has offered everything, you're right. You know why? Because he doesn't want to f*** around with the United States.
.@POTUS on Maduro: "He has offered everything, you're right. You know why? Because he doesn't want to fuck around with the United States." 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/EhG7Eeaq7P
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 17, 2025
Mic drop, as the kids say.
Trump has been doing his best to intimidate Maduro, particularly in recent months. As I wrote yesterday:
Every media outlet reported on [the president approving covert CIA operations in Venezuela] breathlessly yesterday, like we were headed off to war, but I felt it was just intimidation again, at least for now. Every time Trump makes a move, Maduro crumbles a bit more. When the $50 million reward went out and military action ramped up in the Caribbean, Maduro reportedly started moving assets. When we began blowing up his narco-boats, he cried about imperialism and the blood on the hands of Rubio. He tried to distract people by telling them to celebrate Christmas in October. When the administration ended diplomatic talks, he reached out to his buddies in Cuba and Russia and begged the UN to get involved. When the CIA news came out yesterday, he appealed to the American public to stop Trump. We've also learned that he's offered up all the oil and gold and minerals in Venezuela to convince Trump to allow him to stay in power.
At the rate the president's message is spreading on Friday afternoon, I'm sure Maduro has already heard it and has some other cowardly rebuttal planned.
The president also confirmed the news that we blew up another Venezuelan narco-vessel in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, this time leaving a couple of survivors who are currently in custody with the U.S. Navy. As it turns out, this wasn't just a drug boat; it was a drug submarine. Who knew? Here's what the president said about that:
We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amount of drugs. Just so you understand, this was not an innocent group of people. I don't know too many people that have submarines. That was an attack on a drug-carrying, loaded up submarine.
.@POTUS: "We attacked a submarine. That was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs — just so you understand. This was not an innocent group of people." pic.twitter.com/4dTsbysG3c
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 17, 2025
I'm sure Maduro will come out soon and say that was just some of his fishermen out in their submarine trying to earn a living.
According to Reuters, the attack killed two men, and the two survivors are currently detained on board a Navy ship.
The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this. Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership. That's just $12.74 for the entire year. Click here to get started.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member