Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed speculation that he could be the Republican Party’s 2028 presidential nominee, instead throwing his support behind Vice President JD Vance.

‘I thinkJD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that,’ Rubio said during an interview with Lara Trump that aired on the Fox News Channel Saturday.

Rubio also described Vance as one of his ‘closest friends in politics.’

He went on to commend Vance’s performance as vice president during the segment on ‘My View with Lara Trump’ and made clear he is satisfied with his current role in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.

‘I want to do this job as long as the president allows me to,’ Rubio added. 

Trump appointed Rubio to serve as the nation’s top diplomat shortly after defeating then–Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. Rubio, previously a Republican senator representing Florida, was among the first confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet.

‘I believe that if I am able to be here, through the duration of this presidency, and we get things done at the pace that we’ve been doing the last six months, I’ll be able to look back at my time in public service and say I made a difference, I had an impact, and I served my country in a very positive way,’ Rubio told Trump.

‘And I would be satisfied with that as the apex of my career,’ he added.

A lawmaker in the conservative House Freedom Caucus is launching his campaign to be governor of South Carolina.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who came to Congress in 2017, kicked off his Palmetto State bid with a Rock Hill campaign rally on Sunday.

‘I am running for governor to shake things up, clean up Columbia, and finally take down the corrupt political establishment once and for all,’ Norman is telling voters, according to prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. ‘I owe nothing to the lobbyists. I owe nothing to the Columbia bureaucratic elite. My allegiance is to you, the people of South Carolina.’

As part of his campaign platform, Norman is promising to establish a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ‘commission’ in the state ‘that roots out waste, fraud, and abuse.’

Norman is also running on the promise of fixing South Carolina’s infrastructure, implementing term limits for state lawmakers, tort reform, and pledging to ‘let the people vote on judges.’

Currently, a majority of state judgeships in South Carolina are decided by the General Assembly. Some positions, including magistrate judges, are appointed by the governor.

Norman is also promising ‘to use the bully pulpit to bring my case directly to the people’ and to ‘use the veto pen.’

His campaign speech also touches on socially conservative goals like advocating for school choice, and restricting school bathrooms by gender at birth.

‘And if that all doesn’t work, I’m telling you now that any so-called ‘Republican’ RINO legislator that doesn’t stand for reforms the people are calling for doesn’t deserve to be in office and we’ll beat them in Republican primaries if that’s what it takes,’ Norman’s speech says.

Norman is joining a crowded Republican primary field with his Sunday announcement. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell are also in the race.

Meanwhile, Norman’s House colleague, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is also said to be considering a campaign for governor.

And in a state that President Donald Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2024, the commander-in-chief’s endorsement – both in the primary and general election – will likely be critical.

Norman pointed out in his speech that both he and Trump have a background in real estate; both men led development companies that were founded by their fathers.

‘We need business leaders – people who have signed both the front and the back of a paycheck. Folks who have built something, taken risks, made money, and yes, lost money too,’ Norman said. ‘Thankfully, we have a great businessman – and fellow developer – back in the White House! Just look what a difference President Trump has made in six months.’

He also cast himself as a disruptor who helped move ‘the needle by making our budget more conservative,’ in reference to the House Freedom Caucus’s push to move Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ to the right.

And while the group was successful in doing that in the House, the Senate watered down several of those wins during its time considering the bill. The Senate version ultimately passed the House, with Norman and other Freedom Caucus members voting in support.

‘Some say I have earned a reputation of being uncompromising, always trying to make a bill more conservative,’ Norman’s speech says. ‘Well folks, I’ll take that as a compliment and I am proud of it.’

As a member of Congress, Norman sits on the House Committee on Financial Services, House Budget Committee, and House Rules Committee.

A longtime ally of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Norman was the only House Republican to formally endorse her before Haley dropped out of the race, after which Norman backed Trump.

He told Fox News Digital of his endorsement in January 2024, ‘When I supported Nikki Haley, I had the respect of Donald Trump to call him, and I told him what I was gonna do, and I decided I was going to do it.’

It’s worth noting, however, that Norman had been a vocal supporter of Trump since Haley’s exit – and unlike other House Freedom Caucus allies, he did not incur Trump’s wrath for his loyalty to Haley.

He was most recently at the White House earlier this week with other House Republicans for a reception celebrating their legislative successes.

The South Carolina gubernatorial general election will take place in November 2026.

President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a trade deal between the U.S. and European Union on Sunday.

The announcement came moments after the two had addressed the media, agreeing that the likelihood of an agreement was about 50-50. Von der Leyen said the negotiations had taken some ‘heavy lifting,’ but the two leaders agreed they were happy with the result.

‘We are agreeing that the tariff straight across for automobiles and everything else will be a straight-across tariff of 15%,’ Trump said.

‘So we have a tariff of 15%. We have the opening up of all of the European countries, which I think I could say were essentially closed. I mean, you weren’t exactly taking our orders. You weren’t exactly taking our agriculture,’ he added, addressing von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen said Europe will also purchase $150 billion worth of U.S. energy as part of the deal, in addition to making $600 billion in other investments into the U.S.

Trump and von der Leyen had sounded unsure of whether a deal would be reached even as they spoke to the press in Scotland on Sunday.

‘We look forward to talking to see if we can do something,’ Trump had said of the negotiations. ‘We’ve had, a very good relationship over the years, but it’s been a very one-sided transaction, very unfair to the United States.’

Responding to a reporter’s question, von der Leyen agreed with Trump that there must be a ‘rebalancing’ of the bilateral trade, which is worth billions of dollars.

‘It is about rebalancing,’ von der Leyen said as she sat next to Trump. ‘You can call it fairness, you can call it rebalancing. We have a surplus and the United States has a deficit, and we have to rebalance it.’

President Donald Trump blasted the European Union for not providing aid to Gaza on Sunday, adding that Israel must ‘make a decision’ about how to handle the region with Hamas still holding hostages.

Trump made the comments while meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland. He said that the U.S. has given millions in aid to Gazans, but claimed there has been no assistance from European countries.

‘We gave $60 million two weeks ago for food for Gaza, and nobody acknowledged it. Nobody talks about it. And it makes you feel a little bad when you do that. And, you know, you have other countries not giving anything. None of the European countries, by the way, gave – I mean, nobody gave but us and nobody said, gee, thank you very much. And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.’

Trump went on to note that a deal needs to be made between Israel and Hamas to end the war and return the last remaining hostages to Israel, despite many of them being dead.

‘But we have a lot of bodies, and the parents want those bodies as much as they would want their child if that child were alive,’ Trump said of the hostages and their families.

He suggested that Hamas is reluctant to make a deal for the final hostages because they feel it would be ‘the end for them’ if they lose leverage against Israel.

‘You know, they had a routine discussion the other day and all of a sudden they hardened up. They don’t want to give them back. And so Israel is going to have to make a decision,’ Trump said.

The meeting comes as the IDF highlighted its efforts to deliver aid into Gaza after restricting the flow in recent months.

Israel is now conducting airdrops for aid throughout the region, and the IDF says it conducted 28 drops in a matter of hours on Sunday.

‘Let me be clear: Israel supports aid for civilians, not for Hamas. The IDF will continue to support the flow of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,’ an IDF spokesperson said, claiming Israel transferred roughly 250 trucks full of aid into Gaza this week.

The IDF argues the reports about starvation in Gaza were a false campaign promoted by Hamas, but hunger is spreading across the region after the United Nations and the IDF previously failed to reach an agreement about aid distribution, Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Sunday that Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell deserves a life sentence, rejecting the idea of a potential pardon for the convicted sex trafficker.  

In an appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ Johnson was asked if he supported a pardon for Maxwell, but the speaker emphasized that the decision ultimately belongs to President Donald Trump. 

‘I think 20 years was a pittance,’ Johnson said of Maxwell’s time behind bars. ‘I think she should have a life sentence, at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes.’ 

‘I mean it’s hard to put into words how evil this was and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think is an unforgivable thing,’ Johnson added, acknowledging that federal prosecutors identified more than 1,000 victims, many of whom were underage. ‘So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that as any reasonable person would.’ 

While leaving the White House on Friday en route for Scotland, Trump was asked if he considered a pardon or clemency for Maxwell. The president left the door open, responding: ‘I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.’

Johnson said he supports the position of the president, the FBI and the Justice Department that ‘all credible evidence and information’ be released, but emphasized the need for safeguards to protect victims’ identities. As for Maxwell, she was questioned by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, for two consecutive days last week. Her lawyer told reporters she answered questions on about 100 potential Epstein associates as she angles for clemency. 

‘That’s a decision of the president,’ Johnson said of a potential Maxwell pardon. ‘He said he had not adequately considered that. I won’t get in front of him. That’s not my lane. My lane is to help direct and control the House of Representatives and to use every tool within our arsenal to get to the truth. I’m going to say this as clearly and plainly and repeatedly as I can over and over. We are for maximum disclosure. We want all transparency. I trust the American people. I and the House Republicans believe that they should have all this information to be able to determine what they will. But we have to protect the innocent. And that’s the only safeguard here that we’ve got to be diligent about, and I’m insistent upon doing so.’ 

Johnson criticized a petition for the release of all the Epstein files brought by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-W.Va., and Ro Khanna, D-Penn., as ‘reckless’ and poorly drafted, arguing that it ignored federal rules protecting grand jury materials and ‘would require the DOJ and FBI to release information that they know is false, that is based on lies and rumors and was not even credible enough to be entered into the court proceedings.’ 

The speaker said the petition also lacked safeguards for minor victims who were subjected to ‘unspeakable crimes, abject evil’ and who risk being ‘unmasked.’ Johnson said Massie and Khanna ‘cite that they don’t want child abuse, sex abuse information uncovered, but they cite the wrong provision of the federal code, and so it makes it unworkable.’ The speaker argued Republicans on the House Rules Committee are committed to a better drafted approach that will protect the innocent. 

Asked about a potential pardon for Maxwell, Massie told NBC’s Kristen Welker earlier in the program that it ‘would be up to the president, but if she has information that could help us, I think that she should testify.’ 

‘Let’s get that out there, and whatever they need to do to compel that testimony, as long as it’s truthful, I would be in favor of,’ Massie said. 

Khanna said he did not believe Maxwell’s sentence should be commuted and that he was concerned that Blanche was meeting with her. He said he agreed with Massie that Maxwell should testify but noted she has been indicted twice for perjury.

‘This is why we need the files. This is why we need independent evidence,’ Khanna said. 

Japanese populist Sohei Kamiya stunned many in the country when his Sanseitō party won 14 seats in Japan’s Upper House elections last week.

‘From supermarket manager to bright political star … populism has hit the shores of Japan like a tsunami,’ Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital about 47-year-old Kamiya’s surprise achievement. 

Holding 15 of 248 Upper House seats is not sufficient for Kamiya’s party to submit legislation. However, polling data shows Sanseitō’s impact with younger voters, as Kyodo News reported that more than 20% of voters from 18 to 40 voted for his party.

Inspired by President Donald Trump’s leadership style, Kamiya’s rise has largely been attributed to his social media savvy. He snagged his earliest followers through his opposition to ‘blanket mask mandates, mass PCR testing, and vaccine requirements’ during the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan Forward reported.

Kamiya has also adopted a spin-off of Trump’s MAGA motto, proclaiming ‘Japanese first’ as his party promises to strengthen Japan’s culture, birth rates and food sufficiency, while finding solutions for its reliance on immigration. 

Though the Western media has characterized Kamiya as far-right, fringe or xenophobic, Lance Gatling, a principal at Nexial Research, Tokyo, told Fox News Digital that while Kamiya’s goals of ‘protecting Japan, growing Japan, and educating Japan’ are ‘fairly populist,’ they do not represent ‘a radical move towards the right wing.’ 

In fact, Gatling said many in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated Japanese politics for decades, ‘are more right-wing than Sanseitō.’ Gatling described members of Kamiya’s party as ‘pretty reasonable.’ 

Gaitlin said that Kamiya, formerly a reservist in the Self-Defense Forces and an English teacher, ‘doesn’t appear to be playing.’ Kamiya ‘has been honing his message for some time,’ Gatling said.

Some critics have expressed particular concern over what they call Kamiya’s anti-immigration stance. Immigration, however, has become a chief issue for the island nation. When former President Joe Biden called Japan ‘xenophobic’ for failing to increase immigration in May 2024, Kamiya responded on social media. ‘It’s not that we’re xenophobic, we are being cautious after seeing your failures,’ Kamiya said. ‘You are meddling too much in our internal affairs.’ 

Gatling says categorizing the Japanese as xenophobic ‘just doesn’t ring true.’ He explained that the country has ‘one of the most astonishing cultures in history,’ formed by adopting Western culture and enriching it to create ‘a completely unique culture that has tremendous appeal around the world.’

Gatling says Kamiya is aiming for a return to traditional cultural values, while also lowering taxes and increasing food self-sufficiency, which is currently the lowest rate of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development nations at 38%. 

The rice trade would be critical to this arrangement, with Sanseitō eager to curb imports of U.S. rice. At present, imports of U.S. rice are set to increase by 75%, thanks to a $550 billion trade deal President Donald Trump signed with Japan on July 22.

Another possible friction point in the future might be Sanseitō’s desire to turn the nation’s farmers into public sector employees, Gatling admitted. ‘The agriculture bloc is one of the most powerful in the LDP,’ he explained. ‘I’m not sure how many of the farmers want to be public sector employees.’

While he says that it is too early to determine the future of Sanseitō in Japanese politics, Gatling said Kamiya has stated he is not ‘interested in building a coalition government.’ Gatling believes the party’s future will hinge on preparations for subsequent elections and demonstrating that ‘they have reasonable policies.’

Chang said Sanseitō’s win was a loss for the LDP, which he says has ‘been adrift’ since Abe’s 2020 resignation and subsequent 2022 assassination. Current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ‘is weak and unpopular,’ and the LDP now finds itself ‘in the minority in both houses of the Diet for the first time since the party was formed in 1955,’ Chang said. ‘Ishiba is naturally catching the blame.’

While the political waves leave Japan ‘rudderless,’ Chang said to ‘expect Sanseitō to only get stronger, which means Japan will turn inward. Around the world, societies have had enough of large foreign populations that do not assimilate, so we should not be surprised that Kamiya will become even more influential.

‘Change occurs slowly in Japan until it happens all at once. Japan is now on the verge of an all-at-once moment,’ Chang said.

The State Department and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have joined a chorus of analysts this week in warning Fox News Digital of ‘significant threats to U.S. national security’ from the actions of Iran in Africa. 

Tehran is accused of reportedly buying uranium in Niger, supplying drones in violation of a U.N. arms embargo to forces in Sudan and promoting the growth of destabilizing Islamist fundamentalism and terrorism on the continent.

‘Iran’s long arm of terror stretches around the globe, including in Africa’, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, told Fox News Digital, adding, ‘Iran is an enemy to freedom everywhere, and a threat to U.S. national security; our partners in Africa must proceed with caution before engaging with this dangerous, authoritarian regime.’ 

Reports surfaced initially last year from first the French media outlet Africa Intelligence, and then the Washington-based NGO the Institute for Science and International Security, that the West African nation of Niger had been negotiating the sale to Tehran of $56 million worth of so-called yellow cake – uranium oxide. The 300 tons of uranium, some of which, one source suggests, has been partly delivered already, would allegedly be enough to make 30 nuclear weapons.

Analysts say Niger could be preparing to sell even more ‘yellow cake’ to Iran. Uranium in the country has up until recently been mined by mostly French companies, such as Orano. But Niger’s military leaders, who came to power in a coup in 2023, announced that they will revoke mining licenses and nationalize mining operations. Iran is said to want to strike a deal to start uranium mining itself in Niger, particularly around Imouraren, an area where the ground is estimated to contain 200,000 tons of the metal.

In a move seen to be towards Russia and Iran, Niger ended an agreement with the Biden administration last year, which led to the closing of two U.S. military bases in the country that were used for anti-terror operations. 

‘In Niger, French outlets covering the continent have reported that there is a secret agreement between Iran and Niger trading uranium oxide for either drones or energy,’ Behnam Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. Taleblu, senior Director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) added, ‘The Islamic Republic is an opportunistic actor, both in the Middle East and further abroad.’

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Iran’s activities in Africa are on their radar, saying, ‘On Niger, we are monitoring the possibility of an Iranian acquisition of uranium. We would have serious concerns about Niger, or any country, transferring uranium to Iran.’

The spokesperson continued, ‘Iran’s continued development of its nuclear program, (and its) role as the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and destabilizing regional behavior, pose significant threats to U.S. national security and to global stability.

‘The President has been clear: Iran cannot ever have a nuclear weapon.’

Iran, said to be interested in Sudan’s gold, has been supplying Mohajer-6 drones to Khartoum’s government, according to the U.S. Africa Command’s Africa Defense Forum. They were used effectively by Sudan in recently reclaiming the capital city, Khartoum and the Presidential Palace.

The FDD’s Taleblu added, ‘Iranian drones are active on four continents today, one of which is the African continent, particularly when looking at the conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia.’

The State Department spokesperson weighed in ‘On Sudan, we are aware of reports. Both the RSF and the SAF have used weapons acquired from foreign actors against the civilian population and infrastructure and have committed human rights violations and abuses.

‘Supplying arms to any of the belligerents prolongs the conflict and heightens the risk of further destabilization in Sudan and the region. The United States calls for an end to all external support to the warring parties, and urges all our partners to press for a comprehensive cessation of hostilities, and increased, unhindered humanitarian access,’ the spokesperson concluded.

Then there is Iran’s reported psychological warfare against Africa’s communities. ‘Iran’s core Africa strategy is to export its ideology into those communities as a counter-balance to what it sees as anti-Iranian efforts in the Middle East,’ Frans Cronje, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Yorktown Foundation for Freedom and a former head of the South African Institute of Race Relations told Fox News Digital.

Cronje continued, ‘Africa has 1.5 billion people. Approximately a third of those are Muslim and make up a quarter of all Muslims worldwide, more than the number in the Middle East. Muslims serve as dominant groups across much of North Africa and down the African east coast.’ 

‘The Iranian Africa strategy can be thought of as having three components,’ Cronje stated. ‘The first is the provision of training and material support to extremist groups in Africa to aid in the export of terror globally, and to target Christians and pro-Western communities on the continent, whilst creating a high-threat environment for Western investors.

‘To that end the global terror threat index scores for several African countries have come to exceed those of traditional Middle Eastern terror staples. Africa’s Christians face increasing volumes of horrific attacks, including Christian church burnings and beheadings, and it has become common for Africa to account for the bulk of global terror-related deaths annually.

‘The second is to identify both Shia and Sunni communities that can be radicalized against the West as well as against Iranian opponents in the Arab world. Iran has employed Al-Mustafa academic and cultural centers in over 30 African countries to train clerics and religious leaders.

‘A third pillar of the strategy is that Iran has deepened diplomatic and economic cooperation ties with scores of African governments and business organizations to win trade and investment deals that help it evade global sanctions, as well as securing the diplomatic support of African governments on global fora such as the U.N., for measures ranging from its nuclear weapons program to its investment in proxy forces that threaten Israel.

‘For example,’ Cronje concluded, ‘just a few months ago, over 700 delegates from nearly 40 African countries attended an investment conference in Tehran.’

Summing up, the FDD’s Taleblu said ‘the threat the Islamic Republic poses on the African continent is both significant and diverse. From seeking to export its revolution through religious indoctrination via state-linked religious seminaries, to drone sales, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism has not missed this opportunity to cause chaos while flying below the radar of the West.’

The White House pulled the plug on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of polygraph tests to root out leakers, according to a report.

Patrick Weaver, a current adviser to Hegseth, alerted high-ranking administration officials that he could soon have to submit a polygraph test, the Washington Post reported. That prompted a call to Hegseth to drop the lie detector tests.

Weaver, who has previously held roles on the White House’s National Security Council and in the Department of Homeland Security during President Donald Trump’s first administration, took offense to the potential measure.

The investigation to identify leakers within the Department of Defense began in late March with a memo from Joe Kasper, then Hegseth’s chief of staff.

‘Recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications with principals within the Office of the Secretary of Defense demand immediate and thorough investigation,’ Kasper wrote in the March 21 memo.

‘The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,’ Kasper added.

The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

The revelation is the latest controversy at the Pentagon, which earlier this year endured the ‘Signalgate’ scandal. Discussions about military action between Hegseth and a group of top Trump officials were leaked, despite being conducted on the encrypted app.

Then-national security advisor Michael Waltz assumed ‘full responsibility’ for the misstep of including the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg on the Signal chat alongside Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Hegseth.

In the aftermath of the accidental leak to a journalist about impending U.S. military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, Trump has remained firmly in Hegseth’s corner, offering public support.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hammering Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on Sunday as the South American country holds municipal elections to fill hundreds of mayoral positions and thousands of council seats.

The municipal contests are happening one day before the one-year anniversary of Venezuela’s presidential election, which was widely condemned by the United States and other international observers as illegitimate. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has been escalating pressure against Maduro in recent days, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday accused the foreign head of state of being the leader of an entity aiding terrorism against the U.S. 

‘One year since dictator Nicolás Maduro defied the will of the Venezuelan people by baselessly declaring himself the winner, the United States remains firm in its unwavering support to Venezuela’s restoration of democratic order and justice,’ Rubio said in a statement on Sunday. ‘Maduro is not the President of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government.’

‘Maduro is the leader of the designated narco-terrorist organization Cartel de Los Soles, and he is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,’ Rubio continued. ‘Maduro, currently indicted by our nation, has corrupted Venezuela’s institutions to assist the cartel’s criminal narco-trafficking scheme into the United States.’

The Justice Department charged Maduro and 14 other former and current Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking and other criminal charges in March 2020. At the start of this year, 10 days before President Donald Trump returned to office, the State Department increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture from $15 million to up to $25 million. 

‘For years, Maduro and his cronies have manipulated Venezuela’s electoral system to maintain their illegitimate grip on power,’ Rubio added on Sunday. ‘By scheduling the municipal elections on the eve of the anniversary of the stolen July 28 presidential election, the regime once again aims to deploy the military and police to suppress the will of the Venezuelan people.’

‘The United States will continue working with our partners to hold accountable the corrupt, criminal and illegitimate Maduro regime. Those who steal elections and use force to grasp power undermine America’s national security interests,’ Rubio said. 

Maduro became the Venezuelan president in 2013, but the U.S. has not recognized his presidency since 2019. The U.S. and other countries have refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of the July 2024 Venezuelan election, citing widespread fraud. 

The Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned the Cartel de los Soles, also known as Cartel of the Suns, as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist.’ The U.S. alleges that Cartel de los Soles is headed by Maduro and other Venezuelan high-ranking individuals in his regime ‘who corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela, including parts of the military, intelligence apparatus, legislature, and the judiciary, to assist the cartel’s endeavors of trafficking narcotics into the United States.’ 

The U.S. claims the Venezuela-based group provides material support to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. The Trump administration classified Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations in February. 

According to the Treasury Department, the name Cartel de los Soles is derived from the sun insignias often portrayed on the uniforms of Venezuelan military officials. 

The cartel ‘supports Tren de Aragua in carrying out its objective of using the flood of illegal narcotics as a weapon against the United States,’ according to the Treasury Department. 

Bessent said on Friday that the new action ‘exposes the illegitimate Maduro regime’s facilitation of narco-terrorism through terrorist groups like Cartel de los Soles.’

‘The Treasury Department will continue to execute on President Trump’s pledge to put America First by cracking down on violent organizations including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their facilitators, like Cartel de los Soles,’ he added.