Maduro Blasts Puerto Rico Governor for Supporting U.S. Military Drills: 'If You Claim You'll Invade Venezuela, Be the First to Come'

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro criticized Puerto Rico's governor, Jenniffer González, over her public support for U.S. military exercises in the Caribbean, calling on her to "lead from the front" if an invasion of Venezuela were to take place.

"The governor of Puerto Rico is joining a military plan," Maduro said during an interview with former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa on RT. "I tell the governor of Puerto Rico: if you claim you'll invade Venezuela, be the first to come, alright?"

González expressed her backing for the U.S. military operations on social media earlier this week, calling Puerto Rico "the U.S. border in the Caribbean" and describing the deployment of forces as an effort to "attack the source" of drug trafficking.

The remarks come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas. The U.S. has deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico and increased its naval presence in the southern Caribbean as part of a counter-narcotics campaign, according to officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, visiting U.S. forces aboard the USS Iwo Jima off Puerto Rico, told service members that they were "on the front lines of a critical mission" rather than a training exercise.

The Trump administration has accused Maduro's government of directing a major drug-trafficking network, allegations Venezuela strongly denies. During the interview with Correa, Maduro said Venezuela "is completely free of the phenomenon of drug trafficking" and accused Washington of using the alleged Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as "a myth to justify military action."

Maduro also warned of the scale of the current military posture, stating, "We have eight warships, destroyers in the Caribbean. It's never been seen before ... 1,200 missiles are pointed at our heads."

Public opinion in Puerto Rico regarding the military deployment remains divided, as CNN points out. While some officials, like Arroyo's mayor Eric Bachier, have welcomed the exercises as recognizing the island's strategic importance, others have protested U.S. military activities. The group Madres contra la Guerra staged a demonstration outside Muñiz Air Base, calling Puerto Rico "an occupied people" and opposing any use of the island as a staging ground for actions against Venezuela.