Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the latest target of fury by a controversial foreign leader hostile to the United States.

According to Bloomberg News, embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro "blasted the White House’s decision to send 4,000 troops and warships to the Caribbean in what Washington calls a counter-narcotics mission," while speaking to reporters in Caracas. "Singling out Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said the move risks escalating into direct confrontation."

“Marco Rubio wants to stain his hands with blood, with South American, Caribbean, and Venezuelan blood,” said Maduro. “Even if they put 10,000 missiles on our heads, Venezuelans will be respected.”

Maduro, an avowed socialist strongman, has positioned himself as an adversary of the United States for years, as his country under his rule has sunk into increasing instability, poverty, and hunger, and has built on the authoritarian control of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

After years of turmoil and constitutional crises as Maduro has captured domestic courts and cracked down on dissidents to consolidate his grip on power, the United States under former President Joe Biden struck a deal with the Venezuelan regime to lessen sanctions in return for a guarantee of holding free and fair elections. Despite this, the elections that followed and reaffirmed Maduro's rule have widely been condemned as a sham by international observers, prompting the Trump administration to ratchet up sanctions again.

The Trump administration, for its part, has escalated its own rhetoric against Venezuela, with Attorney General Pam Bondi being widely mocked last month for a stunt in which she announced a $50 million bounty on Maduro's head.