Donald Trump says he could order another strike if Venezuela does not co-operate with US efforts to open up its oil industry and stop drug trafficking.

The US President also threatened military action in Colombia and Mexico, and said Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own.

The Colombian and Mexican embassies in ⁠Washington did not immediately return requests for comment.

Trump’s remarks by Trump came on the eve of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s scheduled appearance before a federal judge in New York.

Maduro was captured during a US military raid on Saturday in Caracas that has plunged Venezuela into uncertainty. He was paraded in cuffs for the camera in a video shared by the White House and titled “Perp walked”.

Trump administration officials have portrayed the seizure as a law-enforcement action to hold Maduro accountable for criminal charges filed in 2020 that accuse him of narco-terrorism conspiracy.

But Trump himself has admitted other factors were at play, saying the raid was prompted in part by an influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States and the country’s decision ‌to nationalise US oil interests decades ago.

“We’re taking back what they stole,” he said aboard Air Force One as he returned on Sunday (US time) to Washington from Florida.

Oil companies will ‍return to Venezuela and rebuild the country’s petroleum industry, Trump said.

“They’re going to spend billions of dollars and they’re going to take the oil out of the ground,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maduro’s government remains in power in Caracas, and top officials have remained defiant.

Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez, who has taken over as interim leader, has said Maduro remains president and has contradicted Trump’s claim that she is willing to work with the United States.

Rodriguez, who also serves as oil minister, has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro’s inner circle.

.@POTUS reiterates that if the acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez doesn’t do what’s right, “she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro.” pic.twitter.com/WXk6S0u79S

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 5, 2026

Maduro, 63, faces charges that accuse him of providing support to major drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang.

Prosecutors say he directed cocaine trafficking ‌routes, used the military to protect shipments, sheltered violent trafficking groups and used presidential facilities to move drugs.

The charges, first filed in 2020, were updated on Saturday to include his wife, Cilia Flores, who is accused of ordering kidnappings and murders.

Maduro has denied wrongdoing, and it could be several months before he stands trial.

The United States has deemed Maduro an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election ‍marred by allegations of massive irregularities.

But Trump has dismissed the idea of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacks support.

Machado was banned from the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez has a mandate to take the presidency and some international observers say he overwhelmingly won that vote.

On Sunday (local time), Trump said his administration will try to work with Venezuela’s current government to clamp down on drug trafficking and open up its oil industry, rather than pushing for elections to install new leaders.

Though Maduro has few allies on the world stage, many countries have questioned the legality of seizing a foreign head of state and called on the US to respect international law.

The UN Security Council is meeting to discuss the US attack, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a dangerous precedent.

The attack has also raised questions in Washington, where opposition Democrats say they were misled by the administration about its Venezuela policy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to brief top lawmakers on Capitol Hill later on Monday.

Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuela’s economy has collapsed over the past 20 years, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the world’s biggest exoduses.

The removal of Maduro, a former bus driver who led Venezuela for more than 12 years ‍after the death of strongman Hugo Chavez, could lead to even more destabilisation in the nation of 28 million people.

The Australian government says it is keeping a close watch on developments.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it had been briefed on the matter after Maduro and his wife were taken to the US, adding Australia had long-held concerns about the regime.

“Obviously, those developments are fast-moving, and like everyone around the world, we will be monitoring the situation,” he told reporters in Brisbane on Monday.

 “Our position is to encourage the relevant parties now to engage in dialogue and diplomacy and to ensure that there’s not an escalation.”

Chalmers said Australia supported international law but it was up to the US “to make clear the legal basis of the steps taken over the weekend”.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the Venezuelan president’s removal was a “good thing”.

“The coalition’s position has always been for a transition to democracy in Venezuela, and dictators and despots should always face justice,” she told reporters in Canberra.

Hundreds of protesters in major Australian cities have condemned the United States’ takeover of Venezuela, while others are celebrating Maduro’s downfall.

–with AAP