It would be ‘smart’ for Maduro to step down, Trump saysAFP WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump on Monday said it would be “smart” for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down, as US naval forces pressed a blockade on the South American country’s oil wealth. Asked by reporters at his Florida home if Washington’s threats were designed to force Maduro to leave office after 12 years, Trump said: “That’s up to him, what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that.”US President Donald Trump attends a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. Firing back just hours later, Maduro said that Trump would be “better off” if he focused on his own country’s problems rather than threatening Caracas. Trump on Tuesday last week also announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” sailing to and from Venezuela.

Source: Taipei Times December 23, 2025 17:12 UTC