U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, on Monday said he spoke with multiple officials in Venezuela and would begin meetings early Tuesday, days after the outgoing Biden administration imposed new sanctions on the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The message seemed designed to reach Washington as one administration prepares to hand the baton to the next: If the United States keeps messing with Venezuela, then Caracas will retaliate by “liberating” the US territory of Puerto Rico,

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order saying the United States will designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that could push a militarized agenda for the border and Latin America.

“I’m incredibly proud to attend President Trump’s inauguration today, and to be joined by Venezuela’s President-elect Edmundo González ,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said.

President Donald Trump made only a smattering of false claims in his inaugural address on Monday, mostly sticking to vague rhetoric, subjective assertions and uncheckable promises of action. But then he embarked on a lying spree.

The president sought to end a program that allowed migrants fleeing Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti to fly into the United States and remain in the country for up to two years.

Puerto Rico governor Jenniffer González Colón called Maduro's comments an "open threat to the United States and our national security."

President Donald Trump’s plans to curb immigration and beef up border security began taking effect soon after he was inaugurated Monday as he made good on campaign promises.

President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday to beef up security at the southern border that began taking effect hours after he was inaugurated, making good on his defining political promise to crack down on immigration and marking another wild swing in White House policy on the divisive issue.