President Trump Shares Video Ridiculing Venezuela's Militia: 'A Very Serious Threat!'

President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric on Venezuela on Monday, shifting from threats to mockery, after posting a video of Venezuelan militia training on his Truth Social account.

"TOP SECRET: We caught the Venezuelan Militia in training," Trump wrote alongside footage of women running awkwardly with rifles. He added sarcastically, "A very serious threat!" The video, originally broadcast in Venezuela as part of militia training exercises, has been widely circulated on social media.

On Saturday, Trump also posted separate message in which he accused the Venezuelan government of sending criminals and psychiatric patients into the United States. "Thousands of people have been badly hurt, and even killed, by these 'Monsters,'" he wrote. "GET THEM THE HELL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY, RIGHT NOW, OR THE PRICE YOU PAY WILL BE INCALCULABLE!"

Venezuelan officials responded to that post by Trump by defending their preparations. "We do not seek war with anyone. We have never declared war on anyone," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, according to NTN24. "But we have learned to defend ourselves, and we have also learned to carry out devastating counterattacks when necessary."

Trump's post comes as Venezuela has sought to mobilize its population through the Bolivarian National Militia, a civilian reserve force created in 2009. In recent weeks, local media and BBC reporting have shown older citizens and community members training with rifles, tanks, and military instructors in poor neighborhoods of Caracas.

One 69-year old man aspiring to be part of the militia told the BBC:

"If I have to give my life fighting, I'll do it (...) If I have to give my life, I'll give it here. Everything I had to enjoy, I've already enjoyed"

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has described the situation as an "undeclared war" against Venezuela, while analysts suggest the militia serves more as a deterrent and symbolic shield than a conventional fighting force.

The United States does not recognize Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president and has placed a $50 million reward on information leading to his arrest on drug trafficking charges. Maduro denies the allegations and says Washington is seeking regime change through military pressure.