Venezuelan president calls Marco Rubio an 'imbecile' as tensions escalate over Guyana

Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, slammed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, calling the official an "imbecile" during Rubio's visit to neighboring Guyana. During his visit, the Trump official promised retaliation from the U.S. if Venezuela attacked during the ongoing territory dispute. It comes as the key reason Donald Trump could be 'destroyed' if he runs for a fourth time has been revealed.

In his address, Rubio claimed it would be a “very bad day” for Venezuela if that happened, as he had signed a security agreement with Guyana. Shortly after the comments, Maduro issued a fiery statement.

"The imbecile Marco Rubio comes out threatening Venezuela from Guyana," Maduro said as he attended an event in Miranda state, adding: "Venezuela can't be threatened by anyone because this is the homeland of the liberators." Meanwhile, scientists sound alarm as US volcano signals 'explosive' eruption in weeks.

In the same brash statement, Maduro also slammed El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele. Maduro claimed that lawyers who had been hired by the country had not been allowed access to their clients or the prisons where they were being detained.

The barrage comes after Rubio slammed the South African ambassador in a now-viral tweet. Rubio reportedly declared the South African ambassador to the US "persona non grata," after the diplomat publicly opposed aspects of President Donald Trump's foreign policy.

Following his criticism of Trump at a discussion early on Friday, South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is being sought to be expelled by Rubio. “South Africa's Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio wrote on X later that day.

Rubio called Rasool "a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates [the president of the United States] @POTUS." He added: “We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA." In his announcement, Rubio cited comments made by Rasool during a recent session organized by the South African think group Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection.

In his remarks, Rasool contended that Elon Musk and JD Vance's efforts this year to support right-wing parties in the UK and Germany, together with Trump's Make America Great Again initiative, were all components of a global movement that catered to the fears of white populations. “It may not be true, it may not make sense, but that is not the dog whistle that is being heard in a global, white base,” the ambassador said.

Reports indicated that the ambassador, who held the same position during the Obama administration, has already been having trouble arranging meetings with prominent Republicans and members of the Trump administration in Washington. “A man named Ebrahim, who is Muslim, with a history of pro-Palestine politics, is not likely to do well in that job right now,” a South African diplomat told Semafor, a news outlet.

The White House has said that it would stop providing U.S. aid to South Africa after the country was accused of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice. A land expropriation bill intended to address the nation's history of racial injustice and the forcible relocation of Black families was also opposed by the Trump administration. According to the White House, the law is racist against white Afrikaners in South Africa because it permits expropriation without compensation in certain situations.