Nicolas Maduro Taunts Trump Admin As U.S. Pressure Remains High: 'We Don't Want To Be Slaves Of The Gringos'

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro again taunted the Trump administration, saying the country doesn't want to be enslaved by the "gringos."

Maduro also called opposition leader Maria Corina Machado a "demonic witch" after she won the Nobel Peace Prize late last week. He made the comments during an event to mark a new anniversary of the so-called "indigenous resistance," which substitutes Columbus Day. He avoided mentioning Machado by name, calling her the "the Sayona's demonic witch," a Venezuelan folk figure, adding that "90% of the population rejects her."

However, he again addressed her award, saying "if you want peace, prepare to earn it." "We want peace and we'll have peace, but one with freedom, sovereignty, independence and equality. Not the peace of Gaza's ruins or the peace of death," he added.

Machado, who has been in hiding in the country for over a year, did not address the comment, but has conveyed a warning to her opponent, whose grip on power she has been seeking to end for a long time.

Speaking to Infobae during the weekend, she said that Maduro should either accept "the terms of a negotiated transition back to democracy" or "leave without any negotiation." She was addressing tensions with the U.S., where the Trump administration has amassed 10,000 troops in the Caribbean.

Machado dedicated the award to U.S. President Donald Trump, writing after the announcement that "today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the U.S., the people of Latin America, and democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve Freedom and democracy."

In another passage of the interview, Machado claimed that "the regime declared a war on us, which we didn't want, and the the tools of the citizenship and the support of those who genuinely believe in democracy, we'll win."

Trump officials, on their end, confirmed that they are seeking to put increasing amounts of pressure on Maduro to eventually force him out of power, according to a new report.

Speaking to Politico, an official said "everyone" would like Maduro to go. "We're going to put a tremendous amount of pressure on him. He's weak. It's quite possible that he'll fall from this pressure alone without us having to do anything" the official added.

The outlet went on to detail that Trump's team does not seem to rule escalating matters further, moving from striking boats off the coast of Venezuela to targets inside the country. It noted that Trump has different plans before him, including airstrikes on Venezuelan territory, but so far he has not ordered to aim at Maduro directly.