United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed former President Joe Biden for failing to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro when he was in office.
Rubio blasted Biden for only placing a $25 million bounty on Maduro but not trying to actively snatch the now-ousted president like President Donald Trump did on Saturday.
'Dating back, in the Biden administration, they had a $25 million reward for his [Maduro's] capture,' Rubio told NBC News' Kristen Welker on Sunday morning.
'So, we have a reward for his capture, but we're not going to enforce it?
'That's the difference between President Trump and everybody else... President Trump did something about it.'
The US has had a bounty on Maduro since 2020, when he was first indicted by the Justice Department for narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and more.
The award was initially set at $15 million, and bumped up to $25 million last January when Biden was still in office.
The amount was then raised to $50 million in August under the Trump administration after designating Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization that is believed to be run by Maduro, CNN reported.
Rubio's jab at Biden comes after a social media post the former leader made about Maduro came back to haunt him.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted former President Joe Biden for not doing anything to try and capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro when he was in office
Rubio said Biden's administration placed a $25 million bounty on Maduro, but did not 'enforce it' like Donald Trump did
Biden's post on X, shared in 2020, stated that Trump 'admired' Maduro.
At the time, Axios interviewed and reported that Trump was open to the idea of meeting with the now locked -up dictator.
Trump told the outlet: 'I would maybe think about that. ... Maduro would like to meet. And I'm never opposed to meetings — you know, rarely opposed to meetings.'
The outlet posted their article on X, and Biden replied to it, writing, 'Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro.
'As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy.'
Axios also reported that Trump seemingly had second thoughts about his decision to recognize former acting President Juan Guaidó as the leader of Venezuela.
Now Biden’s tweet has sparked an uproar, with many mocking him after Trump sent an elite Delta Force unit after Maduro and his wife.
San Diego politician Amy Reichert took to X to reply to Biden’s earlier post, writing, 'This did not age well.'
Maduro is seen being escorted by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers on Saturday after he was arrested and transported to the US alongside his wife, Cilia Flores
A post on X that Biden made in 2020 came back to haunt him after Maduro was arrested Saturday. In it, the former commander-in-chief said Trump 'admires' the dictator
Trump shared a picture of Maduro blindfolded inside a plane while on his way to the US after his arrest
The post received more than one million views and hundreds of comments, with users taunting Biden over his age.
One user replied to Reichert, writing, 'Nothing about Biden aged well,' while another wrote, 'Joe isn't aging well either.'
Biden's original post even received some recent gibes, with one user writing, 'Oof,' and another, 'Just checking here.'
Meanwhile, Trump took to his TruthSocial account to share an image of Maduro being flown to the US after his and his wife's arrest.
The disgraced leader was seen donning a gray sweatsuit, an eye mask, and headphones as he clutched a bottle of water during the ride.
'Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima,' Trump wrote.
Not only did Trump capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the middle of the night, but he also had US troops carry out a strike in Caracas, Venezuela's capital.
Around 40 civilians and military personnel died in the strike, an official told the New York Times.
No US casualties have been reported, but there was an undisclosed number of injuries among US troops, all of whom are reportedly in stable condition.
US troops also carried out a strike in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, on Saturday. Around 40 civilians and military personnel died in the strike. No US casualties have been reported
Maduro, 63, and his wife, 69, were taken into custody amid accusations from Trump that Venezuela has been flooding the US with drugs and gang members.
They landed by helicopter in Manhattan on Saturday evening, after earlier making stops at airfields in upstate New York and Puerto Rico.
Maduro will reportedly be held there as he awaits trial. His initial hearing could begin in the next 36 hours.
During a press conference, just hours after the couple were snatched, Trump declared the US will run the South American country indefinitely.
Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's interim leader, has gone on to hurl threats at Trump after he captured Maduro.
The Supreme Court of Venezuela confirmed hardline socialist Vice President Rodriguez as Maduro's successor just hours after US forces detained him and his wife on narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges.
Trump said he preferred Rodriguez, 56, in power rather than the country's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, adding that Maduro's VP was prepared to work with the US.
During a press conference, just hours after the couple were snatched, Trump declared the US will run the South American country indefinitely. In the meantime, Delcy Rodriguez has been appointed Venezuela's interim leader
'She, I think, was quite gracious, but she really doesn't have a choice,' Trump said of Rodriguez during a news conference in which he said the US would 'run' the country.
'She is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. Very simple.'
But the Maduro loyalist, who has helped him maintain his regime for over a decade, has vented her fury at Trump's capture of the despot, whom she called her nation's rightful leader.
Rodriguez, who also serves as minister for finance and oil, slammed Maduro's arrest as 'an atrocity that violates international law' and called for his 'immediate release.'
'We call on the peoples of the great homeland to remain united, because what was done to Venezuela can be done to anyone,' she asserted during a National Defense Council session after the US military operation.
'That brutal use of force to bend the will of the people can be carried out against any country.'
She also insinuated that she was not as on board with helping the US essentially run Venezuela as Trump had suggested.
