Is Donald Trump not speaking to his Secretary of State? Or is he simply — as usual — not listening?

On Saturday, following the brutal invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its tyrannical president and his wife, Trump declared that the U.S. would now “run” Venezuela until a new regime was installed there. (Unfortunately, he did not indicate that he was quitting his present job in order to move to Caracas, but seemed to think he could ruin . . . sorry, run . . . two countries at once.)

But on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to be in damage control mode when he suggested that the U.S. would not take over day-to-day governance of Venezuela, other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” he said:

“And so that’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that. We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking.” [Regina Garcia Cano, et al., Associated Press, January 4, 2026.]

Perhaps his more diplomatic comments were intended to assuage the concerns of other nations — adversaries and allies alike — regarding Trump’s hostile and blatantly illegal actions. Or maybe his apparent contradiction of his boss’ statements indicates a growing problem within the Trump administration: a possible hint that his Cabinet members and other advisers have finally come to the realization that he is a loose cannon who needs to be restrained, for his own sake and for the good of the country.

Whatever Rubio’s intent, it doesn’t seem to have done much good. Later on the same day, while returning to Washington aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated, “We’re going to run it, fix it.” [Id.]

He then threatened the new Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodriguez, saying that she might “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro . . . [if she] doesn’t do what’s right.” [Grace Eliza Goodwin, BBC, January 5, 2026.]

He also said, “Don’t ask me about who’s in charge [of Venezuela] because it will be controversial. We’re in charge.” And for added emphasis, while saying that he expects the new Venezuelan government to allow the U.S. total access so that American forces can “help rebuild,” he further threatened, “ . . . if they don’t behave, we will do a second strike.” [Sophia Cai, Politico, January 4, 2026.]

And — like a lottery winner on a shopping spree — he moved on to other Latin American countries:

“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall. I don’t know if they’re going to hold out.” Saying that Venezuela was Cuba’s principal economic backer, he added: “Cuba only survives because of Venezuela.” [Id.]

Then there was his comment on Colombia and its President Gustavo Petro, who has criticized Trump’s operation in Venezuela:

“Colombia is very sick too — run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and sending it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.” [Id.]

Finally, he returned to his obsession with Greenland:

“We need Greenland from a national security situation [sic]. The EU needs us to have Greenland.” [Id.]

Clearly, he hasn’t been listening to the Danish Prime Minister or other EU members, either.

Surely, those closest to Trump — no matter how unqualified they are for their jobs — cannot be oblivious to the dangers of his increasingly deranged behavior. I envision Marco Rubio — like the caretaker of a very expensive race horse — running along behind him, carrying a bucket and shovel to clean up the inevitable droppings.

Only we’re talking, not about a horse race, but about U.S. foreign policy . . . and a potentially inundating pile of poop.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/5/26