Venezuela Honors Militia Women After Trump Shares Video Mocking Their Training

Venezuela's government honored five militia women on Tuesday, declaring them "soldiers of the homeland" in a ceremony that officials said was a direct response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recent mockery of their training.

Trump's post, published Monday on his Truth Social account, showed women running with rifles during training exercises. "TOP SECRET: We caught the Venezuelan Militia in training," Trump wrote sarcastically, adding, "A very serious threat!" The footage was originally broadcast by Venezuelan state media and has circulated widely online.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, speaking at an event on Caracas's Avenida Bolívar, said the recognition was ordered by President Nicolás Maduro. The women, dressed in red shirts associated with the ruling party and holding rifles, were presented as symbols of resilience. "The mockery is racism," Padrino said. "That cannot be called anything else but supremacism." He added that Venezuela would not be intimidated by U.S. power, describing Washington's posture as "imperial hegemonism."

The official statement from Venezuela's governing party, PSUV, emphasized that the recognition waw meant to uphold "the dignity and heroism" of Venezuelan women. Padrino said the women represented the "vanguard" of revolutionary processes and praised them for stepping forward "with rifles in their hands to defend peace, independence, and territorial integrity."

Local officials in Caracas reinforced the defense minister's message, as EFE reports. Mayor Carmen Meléndez said she had "never seen a president mock women" and insisted that Venezuelan women would defend the nation. "He was born of a woman, he has a wife and daughters, so the Venezuelan woman must be respected," she said. One of the women honored, Isabel Arias, said she felt "with the highest morale ever" and pledged to take up arms "as many times as necessary to defend the peace of the country."

The ceremony took place as pro-government groups marched through the capital to denounce what they called U.S. threats, as Venezuelan officials argue that Washington's recent military deployments in the Caribbean, described by the United States as part of counternarcotics operations, are aimed at forcing regime change.