What's Next After Maduro's Arrest? Why the "Mess Around and You'll Get Hurt" Message Featured 'Gimhae Airport'

White House Posts Photo from US-China Summit on Day of Maduro’s Arrest
Signals US Drive to Strengthen Hegemony in Western Hemisphere
Move Interpreted as a Strategic Check on China

Immediately after the United States White House captured Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, it posted a message on its official social media reading "Mess Around and You'll Get Hurt," drawing significant attention from the international community. In particular, the background photo features President Trump arriving in Busan at the end of October last year for the US-China summit, which has further piqued interest.

The post titled "Mess Around and You'll Get Hurt" uploaded on the official White House social media on the day Maduro was arrested. White House Instagram

"Mess Around and You'll Get Hurt..." White House Issues Warning Right After Maduro's Arrest

On the 3rd (local time), the day of the operation to capture Maduro, the White House uploaded a black-and-white photo of President Trump ascending stairs with a determined expression to X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. The photo prominently displays the phrase "FAFO," an American slang acronym for "F**k Around and Find Out," which carries the same meaning as "Mess Around and You'll Get Hurt." Along with the photo, the White House posted the caption, "No more games. FAFO."

As the United States strengthens its dominance over the Western Hemisphere, including Central and South America, by capturing President Maduro through a military operation, the message is interpreted as an explicit warning that any challenge to US national interests will be met with thorough retaliation, as demonstrated in the recent operation.

Why Is the Photo Set at 'Gimhae Airport'?

The location in the photo has drawn particular attention. The image was confirmed to have been taken on October 30 last year at the Air Force base of Gimhae International Airport in Busan. At that time, President Trump visited South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Trump at Gimhae Airport on October 30 last year, when the US-China summit was held. White House website

The original photo was previously released on the official White House website with the caption, "President Trump attends bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping." In this recent social media post, the image was edited to focus solely on President Trump.

Given that one of the objectives of the Maduro capture operation is seen as blocking the expansion of Chinese and Russian influence in the Western Hemisphere-America's strategic backyard-some interpret the White House's choice to use a photo taken on the day of the summit with President Xi as a deliberate and meaningful decision.

Trump's 'Western Hemisphere Hegemony' Strategy Moves Forward

On the 3rd, the Trump administration, through an operation named "Resolute Resolve," raided President Maduro's safe house in Caracas, Venezuela, and arrested him and his wife before extraditing them to New York, United States.

President Maduro has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, and as of the 5th, the court has begun proceedings to determine whether to accept the indictment. He faces charges of conspiring with drug cartels to smuggle narcotics into the United States, among other allegations.

On the 3rd (local time), President Trump released recent photos of Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, who was captured by the US military in a surprise military operation, on the social networking service Truth Social. Trump Truth Social

While the primary rationale for the Trump administration's operation to capture Maduro is the "war on drugs," it is also interpreted as a strategy to regain control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves-the largest in the world-and to solidify US hegemony in the Western Hemisphere.

At a press conference on the 3rd, President Trump declared that the United States would govern Venezuela until a proper transfer of power is achieved. He reiterated the "Donroe Doctrine," stating, "America's dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be in doubt."

The "Donroe Doctrine" is a portmanteau of President Donald Trump's name and the "Monroe Doctrine," the diplomatic policy announced in 1823 by President James Monroe, which rejected European intervention in the Americas. The Trump administration has demonstrated its determination to block the expansion of external powers such as China and Russia in Central and South America.