Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is facing a renewed wave of condemnation from the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasting him as a “narco-terrorist” who poses an ongoing threat to American national security. The fiery warning comes just as Venezuela holds municipal elections—widely viewed as a sham—marking one year since Maduro’s disputed presidential “victory.”

In a statement on Sunday, Rubio didn’t mince words: “Maduro is not the President of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government.” He denounced Maduro as the leader of the notorious Cartel de Los Soles, which he says is flooding the United States with illegal drugs and working with known terror-linked criminal networks. “Maduro, currently indicted by our nation, has corrupted Venezuela’s institutions to assist the cartel’s criminal narco-trafficking scheme into the United States,” Rubio said.

The U.S. has steadily escalated its pressure on Maduro since President Trump returned to office. Earlier this year, the State Department upped its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest from $15 million to $25 million. Just this week, the Treasury Department formally designated Cartel de Los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, linking it to both the Sinaloa Cartel and Tren de Aragua—two groups the U.S. officially labeled as terrorist organizations in February.

Maduro’s regime, according to U.S. officials, has weaponized drugs as a tool of warfare against the American public. “Those who steal elections and use force to grasp power undermine America’s national security interests,” Rubio emphasized, warning that Maduro’s tactics aren’t just a threat to Venezuelan democracy—they’re actively endangering American lives.

Rubio also accused the regime of manipulating Venezuela’s electoral system once again by staging municipal contests just one day before the anniversary of the country’s fraudulent 2024 presidential election. This move, he argues, was designed to give the illusion of democratic legitimacy while suppressing the Venezuelan people’s will.

Maduro has been on the U.S. radar since 2013, but it was under Trump’s first term that the U.S. stopped recognizing his presidency. The Justice Department charged Maduro and 14 others in 2020 with narco-terrorism and corruption, but the new designations and statements signal an even more aggressive posture now that Trump is back in office.

Rubio made it clear the Trump administration won’t tolerate Venezuela’s growing alliances with international criminal networks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent drove that message home, declaring that Maduro’s cartel “supports Tren de Aragua in carrying out its objective of using the flood of illegal narcotics as a weapon against the United States.” He vowed that the U.S. would continue “executing on President Trump’s pledge to put America First.”

As the Venezuelan people protest the fraudulent elections and demand the release of political prisoners, the international community is watching closely. The U.S. appears to be sending a strong signal: this time, accountability is coming.

The pressure on Maduro is mounting—and with Trump’s team mobilizing diplomatic, financial, and legal tools, the days of Venezuela’s drug-fueled dictatorship may be numbered.