Welcome to Week 3 of "The New Monroe Doctrine," where I give you an update on what's going on in the Western Hemisphere, south of our border, especially as it relates to the U.S. Mexico may be the biggest story of the week, but I have to start with the world's most popular dictator — or so he thinks — and his delusions of grandeur.
Venezuela's Pop Star Pretend
When Nicolás Maduro speaks publicly, you automatically learn two things about him. First, he's not particularly intelligent. Second, the louder and more boisterous he is, the more pressure he feels on his place as Venezuela's illegitimate "president." This week, he seemed particularly defiant and outspoken, which tells me the world is a step closer to being rid of him.
Maduro took to state media this week to brag about just how famous he is in the United States:
I'm still amazed when I see my picture and my image on Fox News, CNN, and I say, 'Damn, how far have you come, Nico?' One really shouldn't be surprised. And I say, 'Damn, I'm famous.' I'm more famous than Taylor Swift in the United States right now. More famous than Karol G. I'm more famous than Bad Bunny! I even feel like recording an album.
With any luck, he'll record that album from a U.S. federal prison soon. Don't forget, he's a wanted fugitive with $50 million on his head. Here's the video if you like watching buffoons spew propaganda in Spanish.
VIDEO: 🇻🇪 Maduro says he is 'more famous than Taylor Swift' due to US media attention
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 5, 2025
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro jokes on state TV that he is "more famous" than artists Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny because of the media coverage he receives in the United States over its… pic.twitter.com/6Qu76zCvUN
But he didn't stop there. He also mocked the military build-up in the Caribbean.
Fourteen weeks of threats. That the Americans, who have fifteen ships, who have two thousand six hundred missiles, who have one hundred planes, that now comes the biggest plane... Excuse me, what's it called? The largest aircraft carrier in the world, called the General Ford. Let the gringos do whatever they want. We're unfazed.
Remember, he's so unfazed that he's been begging Donald Trump to let him stay in power, even offering up the country's oil and gold. It's all an act.
🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP ON VENEZUELAN PRES. MADURO: “He’s offered us EVERYTHING. Wanna know why? Because he doesn’t want to F*CK AROUND with the United States
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 17, 2025
Holy crap! pic.twitter.com/70UbPWhkT9
Don't Believe Him. Maduro's End is Near.
If you read any of my Venezuela articles regularly, you know that I often say to ignore the MSM headlines on the topic, especially when it comes to the subject of "war." I say this for several reasons, but there are three main ones:
1. All of the "war with Venezuela" stories typically quote anonymous sources. Trump of Marco Rubio usually come out and say they're not true. And if you wait a week or so, they never materialize. A week later, they report something similar. Repeat. Also, the clickbait "war" headlines typically make big claims, but once you read the actual stories, they're a lot more ambiguous. "Trump may do this." "Trump hasn't decide don this." You get the idea.
2. Many outlets and individuals reporting on Venezuela lack actual knowledge of the current situation. I like to say many of them just realized the country existed last month when we started blowing up its narco-boats. But I've heard many so-called smart people say some very stupid and untrue things about it.
3. Trump and Rubio are obviously in favor of ridding Venezuela of Maduro and allowing the rightfully elected president to take his place. The left, which includes the MSM and even some masquerading as the right, is going to be against anything Trump wants to do, so you're not going to get an accurate story anyway.
That said, there are signs that Maduro's end is near. For example, Semafor reported this week that Venezuela's president-elect Edmundo González and opposition leader María Corina Machado and their teams are meeting with U.S. investors.
During last month’s IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington, Barclays organized a private meeting to talk investment opportunities with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, two sources familiar with the meeting told Semafor.
The meeting was widely attended by investment firms, hedge funds, and others interested in future business in Venezuela, said Rafael de la Cruz, the director of the US office of Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, who is recognized by the US as the winner of the last Venezuelan election. The opposition leader’s team has also held “informal conversations” with the World Bank, IMF, and Inter-American Development Bank about Venezuela’s future, de la Cruz said.
There's also the fact that U.S. Southern Command Commander Adm. Alvin Holsey is "is in Guyana to meet with senior leaders to discuss the longstanding U.S.-Guyana defense partnership, reaffirm U.S. support to Guyana’s territorial integrity, and collaborative efforts to advance regional security and stability." Guyana sits right next to Venezuela, and there's a long-standing, ongoing territorial dispute between them. Guyana was also one of the first places Rubio visited as Secretary of State earlier this year.
#SOUTHCOM Commander Adm. Alvin Holsey is in Guyana to meet with senior leaders to discuss the longstanding U.S.-Guyana defense partnership, reaffirm U.S. support to Guyana’s territorial integrity, and collaborative efforts to advance regional security and stability.… pic.twitter.com/nASVuoln31
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 6, 2025
Draw your own conclusions, but this tells me that the U.S. is already planning a future with a Maduro-free, democratic Venezuela as a valuable partner and has been for a while.
Mexican Uprising
I've written about this a lot this week, but in case you missed it, on Saturday, while celebrating the Day of the Dead with his young family and constituents, Carlos Manzo, the 40-year-old mayor of Uruapan, in the western state of Michoacán, was murdered in the public square.
On this All Souls’ Day, my thoughts are with the family and friends of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico, who was assassinated at a public Day of the Dead celebration last night. The US stands ready to deepen security cooperation with Mexico to wipe out organized… pic.twitter.com/hf8XObasHf
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) November 2, 2025
Political violence is not uncommon in Mexico, especially in recent years, so you might be wondering what's the big deal? The big deal is that Manzo was different. Many people compared him to El Salvador's Nayib Bukele because of his desire to crack down on cartel and gang violence. As a matter of fact, he was so outspoken about it that he feared for his own life, but he knew that it was the only way to save his town and his country. On top of that, he had a heart of gold for his constituents, and I've learned so much this week about what he did for the community. He was so popular that many believed he'd go on to become governor of Michoacán and potentially even president of Mexico one day.
First, I have a little update. The 17-year-old who shot him was affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Shocking, I know. The teen was shot the night of the murder, but it's believed that one or two other men were involved. Also, Manzo's wife was sworn in to take his place as mayor on Wednesday, vowing to continue his movement to rid the place of cartels.
And that's exactly what it has become: a movement. It reminds me a bit of Charlie Kirk's assassination and the aftermath. Mexican people who are sick and tired of living under the heavy hand of organized crime have taken to the streets every day since the murder to protest. They're wearing cowboy hats like the one Manzo made popular, and they're calling for President Claudia Sheinbaum's head. It's spreading throughout the country, and rumor has it that on November 15, a larger protest, led by a group of Mexico's young adults, will take place. I'll keep you posted.
Here's a look at a march in Uruapan that I believe is taking place today. It's nice to see a protest in which people actually stand for something, unlike the "No Kings" rallies we've seen recently in the U.S., in which there was no clear message and many seemed to want to use it as an attention grab for their own agenda.
🇲🇽🔥 Esto es historia pura. Todo el pueblo de Uruapan, que apenas llega a 350 mil habitantes, salió a las calles para gritar por el asesinato de Carlos Manzo.
— Agustín Antonetti (@agusantonetti) November 7, 2025
Se levanta México contra el narco-estado, contra el narco gobierno de Claudia Sheinbaum.
No paremos de difundirlo. 15N. pic.twitter.com/yBZgTgUXW9
Así se ve #Uruapan
— Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) November 7, 2025
Miles de personas alzando la voz.
Es la megamarcha para exigir justicia por el asesinato de Carlos Manzo. pic.twitter.com/wIHafKdGid
But like Maduro, Sheinbaum claims to be unfazed. Despite offers from the U.S. to help with cartel activity and security, she refuses international intervention and has made several statements on that this week. She also blames the "right wing" for what's happening. But the socialist Sheinbaum, whose party is affiliated with the cartels, is losing support within her country and abroad. This week, Peru actually cut diplomatic ties with Mexico and declared Sheinbaum persona non grata.
And, in addition to the protests, people within the Mexican legislature, like Senator Lilly Téllez, have taken aim at Sheinbaum and her corrupt Morena party all week. "Enough of cowardice, Claudia Sheinbaum," Téllez posted on X this week. "We want war against organized crime because they are killing Mexicans. There will be no peace without directly confronting the murderers."
Let's hope this is the start of something much bigger and better for our southern neighbor and biggest trading partner.
The Rest of the Hemisphere
Here are some links to some of the other stories you may have missed this week from the Western Hemisphere.
1. During his interview with "60 Minutes" on Sunday, Trump confirmed that Maduro's days are numbered, but there will likely be no war.
2. Portugal caught a narco-sub filled with 1.7 tons of drugs in international waters. It allegedly came from Venezuela, last I heard. But I'm sure the men aboard were just humble fishermen.
3. The Dominican Republic, with U.S. influence, postponed the Summit of the Americas planned for December. I explain why I think that was a good, strategic move here, as well as why the MSM headlines about it aren't quite what they seem.
4. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) wrote a letter to Rubio and Scott Bessent, asking them to put even more pressure on Sheinbaum, given her affinity for Cuba.
5. In my weekly "Tracking China in the Americas' column, I explain how China is taking over the power grid in South America, but no one is talking about it.
6. Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader gave an amazing speech at the American Business Forum in Miami, during which she praised many in the U.S. government and talked about what exactly the first 100 days after Maduro's fall will look like under new leadership. It's a great speech, and it's in English. I highly recommend watching.
7. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa to discuss efforts to strengthen regional security, which included a visit to a site to discuss a potential U.S. military base there. I don't write enough about Ecuador and our partnership. That needs to change.
8. Rubio met with Cuban opposition leader, activist, and former political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer at the State Department this week.
Met with @jdanielferrer following his arrival to the United States after years of oppression at the hands of the Cuban regime. We are glad he is free from the regime’s oppression, and the United States continues to stand with Ferrer and all of the everyday Cubans working for… pic.twitter.com/HIycAgGyHi
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) November 5, 2025
I'm hoping to start writing more about the humanitarian crisis in Cuba in the weeks to come, and I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. As I say, unfortunately, Rubio isn't sending me exclusives... yet, but I'm going to do my best to dig some up on this topic if y'all are interested.
P.S. Thanks for all the feedback I've received via email and in the comments sections on these columns so far. It's encouraging! I'm glad y'all are enjoying them, and if there's ever a topic in Latin America or the Caribbean that you want to know more about, hit me up in my inbox. I love hearing from y'all — even if I don't respond in a timely manner — and I'll do my best to look into it.
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