Nicolás Maduro didn't graduate from high school, and the only postsecondary education he's received is a year spent in an indoctrination bootcamp for bright-eyed young Communists in Havana. Yet on Tuesday, the Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela gave him an honorary doctorate degree. After that, "Dr. Maduro" stood on stage, proudly wearing his ceremonial garb that he did absolutely nothing to earn, with plans to open the 2025-2026 academic year.
But instead of inspiring young minds, he took the opportunity to spew more of his propaganda.
He spoke about the "greatness of Venezuela" and how it's a "concept of equality, of democracy, a true democracy, the deep concept of what a republic is." And he said that with a straight face! Then he spoke of the sanctions imposed on him and his fake government and the war that the "U.S. empire has declared on Venezuela and has declared on the whole world." Hey, a dictator's gonna dictate. But, as he likes to do, he called Marco Rubio out specifically.
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with his indecency and immorality, has declared that Venezuelan military bases are the epicenter of drug trafficking," he said before denying that Venezuela has any ties to drug trafficking at all.
It's not the first time Maduro has gone after Rubio. He's been doing it for years, probably because the Secretary of State is one of the only people in power who is brave enough and smart enough to call Maduro what he is: a narco-terrorist, a U.S. fugitive, a cartel leader, an election stealer, a communist dictator who has driven his country into the ground and forced its citizens into poverty while he and his thugs live like kings — take your pick.
In recent months, Maduro has been especially obsessed with warning Donald Trump that he shouldn't listen to Rubio because he's trying to force him into a war in the Caribbean. "Mr. President, Donald Trump, watch out, because Mr. Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood," he said in early September. He also spoke of Trump's potential to win a Nobel Peace Prize, adding that Rubio "wants the last name Trump to be stained with blood for centuries."
In mid-September, Maduro called Rubio the "lord of death and war."
As I said back in June:
When you rattle one dictator, it might be a fluke. But once they all start piling on, it probably means you're doing something right. Cuba's regime doesn't like Rubio either, and hasn't for quite some time, but on Tuesday, it decided to speak to the MSM about it. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba's Foreign Minister, gave an interview to the Associated Press and echoed Maduro's sentiments. He claimed that when Trump returned to office in January, he thought the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba might improve, but Rubio's "personal" agenda has prevented that from happening.
The current secretary of state was not born in Cuba, has never been to Cuba, and knows nothing about Cuba. But there is a very personal and corrupt agenda that he is carrying out, which seems to be sacrificing the national interests of the U.S. in order to advance this very extremist approach.
Rodríguez Parrilla added that Trump "portrays himself as an advocate of peace" and that he blames the State Department for the current problems between the two nations, not the White House. It's Rubio who "promotes the use of force or the threat to use force as an everyday, customary tool," he said.
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Of course, Rubio's parents were Cuban immigrants, and he's done so much for the Cuban expat community here in the U.S. that I'd argue he probably knows more about Cuba than most people on the planet. Because of this, he's referred to the Communist Caribbean country as the "enemy of humanity."
Maybe Cuba's foreign minister should stick to, say, figuring out how to keep the lights on in his country. The problem is that he needs Maduro to do that.
As I wrote last month, if Maduro goes down soon, there's a strong possibility that Cuba could follow. Venezuela provides Cuba with oil. Cuba provides Venezuela with services, such as doctors from its horrific forced labor programs and military training. Cuba's economy is already fragile. In 2024, it declined by 1.1%, and that trend continues. Cubans live a bleak reality fraught with day-long blackouts, a lack of water, and garbage-filled streets.
Anyway, this isn't the first time — and probably won't be the last — that Cuba's foreign minister has accused Rubio of making things "personal." Earlier this year, when the secretary placed visa restrictions on those who support Cuba's slave-like forced labor programs, Rodriguez Parilla claimed he was putting his personal agenda ahead of the interests of the United States and called it the "seventh unjustified aggressive measure against our population within a month."
Related: Another Hypocritical Dictator Attacks Trump for Striking Drug Boats
Typically, Daniel Ortega would be the third amigo in this trio of U.S.-hating Latin dictators who like to run their mouths — and he has been running his mouth — but at this time, The New York Times will be playing the role of the third anti-Rubio Maduro sympathizer. Admittedly, I've been ignoring this article from Times' Andes Bureau Chief, Julie Turkewitz, because I've grown kind of bored with MSM propaganda — at least Maduro and his Cuban and Nicaraguan counterparts make theirs interesting enough to write about — but my X feed is filled with Venezuelan citizens and expats who want Maduro out of there, and they're rightfully angry about it.
Turkewitz received a "rare" invitation to visit Venezuela as a foreign journalist. As Venezuelan-born human rights activist Thor Halvorssen points out, she was chosen because the regime knew she'd go soft on them, and that's exactly what she did. There are a few attempts at appearing fair and balanced — a quote from opposition leader María Corina Machado here, a mention that "some drugs do come from Venezuela" there — but for the most part, Turkewitz whitewashes the reality of what's happening in that country. She paints a rosy picture of businessmen who want diplomacy, people planning birthday parties for their children, and fun pro-Maduro rallies — a communist utopia with maybe just a few minor problems.
Halvorssen points out that to create the full picture, she should have visited the jails and torture basements filled with political prisoners and their families while on her "Caracas Vacation." He also suggests that the fact that she even refers to Maduro as "president" discredits her reporting. Even Joe Biden didn't do that.
Turkewitz repeats or alludes to some of Maduro's talking points in her article. It's propaganda lite. She says that the "prominent businessmen" she spoke to were skeptical that Trump even wanted to get involved with military action, and "that the president’s gunboat strategy, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio would only push Venezuela further from the United States and toward China, Russia and Iran." She also pleaded Maduro's case that he attempted to make in a letter sent to Trump earlier this month, begging for diplomacy, but said "Mr. Trump appears to favor Mr. Rubio’s hardline approach."
I'm getting long, so I'll try to wrap this up with the point I wanted to make with these three examples: Maduro can't shut up about blood on the hands. Cuba is rehashing its tired "personal" vendetta nonsense, and the MSM is amplifying their spin. Rubio is obviously doing something right.
Within days of his confirmation as Secretary of State, Rubio made his first overseas trip to Latin America, visiting Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, proving that he will treat these countries in the region as vital, not afterthoughts. Foes like Venezuela and Cuba know the president of the United States has someone in his ear who prioritizes building up our relationship within the region for national security purposes, to prevent more mass migration, to increase prosperity for all of us, and to keep China and our enemies out of our backyard.
Rubio isn't starting wars. He's forcing accountability within the Western Hemisphere, and these dictators know they can no longer carry on unchecked. Their days of crushing their own citizens and wreaking havoc from Canada down to Chile are coming to an end.
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