While Venezuelans react to the US attack with panic buying of food and fuel, Trump has maintained that the vice president is willing to cooperate: “She had a very long conversation with Marco Rubio and said, 'We will do whatever you need,'” he declared at his press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence after Maduro's arrest.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that, like Venezuela, “Colombia is also very sick,” adding that it is “ruled by a sick man who likes to manufacture cocaine and sell it to the U.S. And that’s something he’s not going to be doing for a long time.”

When asked if this last sentence implied that “another similar U.S. mission” could be deployed to Colombia, the Republican replied: “That sounds good to me.”