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We’re All Losing Our Patience – PJ Media

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May 8, 2026
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Buckle Up — This Is Where It Gets Real – PJ Media
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Welcome to “The New Monroe Doctrine,” where I give you an update on what’s going on in the Western Hemisphere, south of our border, especially as it relates to the United States. 





First up, thank you for the birthday and well-wishes last week. I received so many nice comments and emails. I ended up with bronchitis, so my birthday was a bit of a bummer, but I’m slowly but surely on the mend. 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. 

Erick Erickson wrote on his Substack on Friday morning: “It is time for the President of the United States to finish the job in Iran. Yesterday, the President engaged in what he called a ‘love tap.’ He needs to love the Iranian leadership to death.” 

Don’t worry; I’m not about to start writing about Iran, but I agree with this for many reasons. I was speaking with a Latin American journalist this week, and we both realized that we’re ready for the Donald Trump administration to return its main focus to the Western Hemisphere. Get the thing done in Iran and come back home. There’s a lot to do here, much to be gained, and many of us are losing our patience. And don’t come at me — I’m not criticizing the president. I actually think he’s losing his patience with a lot of things, too. So is Marco Rubio. So are many people across North and South America. We’re all ready to move forward, and Iran seems to be the thing that is stopping that. Let’s get on with it.  

Death of a Political Prisoner 

This wasn’t the biggest story of the week, but it was certainly the most frustrating. Trump said something earlier this week about how Venezuelans were “dancing in the streets” due to all the oil revenue the country is making, and that statement didn’t go over too well with a lot of people. No one is dancing in the streets. They’re losing their patience with this Delcy Rodríguez project, and they’re ready for real jobs and wages and freedom and elections and the release of the political prisoners who remain detained. 

It has now been four months since Delcy’s brother, Jorge, announced that the country would release its political prisoners. While many have been freed, as of April 30, 454 have not. Unfortunately, we learned this week that one actually died many months ago, and there is no telling how many other deaths — murders — the regime is covering up. Is that why they won’t release the remaining 454? They can’t?  





Víctor Hugo Quero Navas, a 51-year-old merchant and former military member, was detained for “terrorism” in January 2025. That’s the word the Nicolás Maduro/Delcy regime uses to imprison their opposition for simply criticizing them. His mother, Carmen Teresa Navas, who is in her eighties, has spent the last sixteen months trying to find him. She’s gone from prison to prison, filed petitions, made public outcries, etc., with no luck. She was also harassed by the Colectivos paramilitary group, as they tried to force her to stop looking for him, but she never gave up. 

This is Carmen, and a picture of Victor. My heart truly breaks for this woman. 

Well, as it turns out, her son was being held in the torture center El Rodeo I near Caracas. In July of last year, he was taken to a hospital with internal bleeding and acute febrile syndrome. About nine days later, he died. The regime claimed on paper that his cause of death was “acute respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism” and buried him. 

But they didn’t tell his family that he died, and his mother was still searching for him up until this week, when the Venezuelan Prisons Ministry finally confirmed his death. Human rights groups and the family’s lawyer have called for independent exhumation and DNA testing to determine whether or not he died due to torture, but I think we all know the answer to that. His body was exhumed today: 





The public and international response to this has been loud and growing. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, has called on Delcy and her thugs this week to accelerate the release of the political prisoners.

Several members of the U.S. Congress have also spoken out. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has called on the Trump administration to reimpose sanctions on Delcy, and a growing number of Venezuelan opposition figures and their supporters are calling for elections to be held before the end of this year.  

Let’s Get Cuba Over With, Too 

When it comes to running out of patience, I think Trump and Rubio (and the Cuban people and many of us here in the United States and numerous other leaders across Central and South America) have had it with the Cuban regime. Its time has come to an end. We know that much, but it appears that many factions of it are refusing to see the writing on the wall. 

So, this week, Rubio went hard on GAESA, the “Cuban military-controlled umbrella enterprise” that “is the heart of Cuba’s kleptocratic communist system.” It may seem like just more sanctions, but it is a huge blow to the regime and the Castro family, and the Secretary of State says more is coming. Here’s how the State Department described GAESA: 

Controlling an estimated 40% or more of the island’s economy, GAESA is involved in various sectors of the Cuban economy and is designed to generate income not for the Cuban people, but only for the benefit of its corrupt elites.  While the Cuban people suffer from hunger, disease and chronic under-investment in critical infrastructure such as its power grid, much of the proceeds of GAESA’s activities are funneled away to hidden overseas bank accounts.  According to recent public estimates, GAESA’s revenues are likely more than three times the state’s budget, and GAESA likely controls up to $20 billion in illicit assets.





I wrote more about that here, so I won’t keep rehashing, but it’s a big deal and a sign that things are escalating: Cuba Falling: Rubio Issues a Major Blow to the Regime’s Military Empire with Much More to Come.

I also wrote about Democrats undermining Trump and Rubio’s plan for Cuba (and possibly breaking federal law and putting our national security at risk) here: Democrats’ Shadow State Department? Jayapal Is Sabotaging U.S. Foreign Policy.

Trump keeps promising that Cuba is next after Iran, and I’m all for it. But let’s get on with it…   

Lula’s Weird Visit 

Brazil’s little dictator, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, came to Washington this week, and he and Trump were supposed to have an open-press Oval Office meeting, as the president often does when foreign dignitaries visit. Many of us who were covering it waited and waited, and at some point, it became clear that it wasn’t going to happen. What did happen was a three-hour closed-door meeting and working lunch, followed by Lula high-tailing it out of there to the Brazilian Embassy to speak to his domestic press. 

To say the two men don’t get along is an understatement. Lula has been bashing Trump left and right lately, but Trump holds most of the leverage here, whether it’s tariffs or his relationship with Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president and Lula’s archenemy. That’s why Lula even bothered to show up, but both came out of the meeting saying mostly positive things. 

Trump posted on Truth Social: “Just concluded my meeting with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the very dynamic President of Brazil. The meeting went very well. We discussed many topics, including Trade and, specifically, Tariffs. Additional meetings will be scheduled…”  





Lula told the media that he was “very satisfied” and that the meeting had been an “important step” toward stabilizing the relationship between two of the biggest economies in the Western Hemisphere.  

However, many Latin American journalists are telling a different story.  Arturo McFields Yescas wrote that Lula returned home “empty-handed.” Here’s much more from him (Brazilian politics is not my strong suit):

Lula arrived with a large delegation of ministers and high-ranking officials from the security and trade sectors. It was all for naught. In the end, he didn’t get an agreement, a memorandum of understanding, or a joint statement. Nothing. 

On the fight against drugs, Lula was unable to reach agreements with the United States because he doesn’t believe in direct confrontation but rather in social  policies and a soft approach. This failed  policy fosters impunity, crime, and poverty.

The United States and Brazil are the largest economies in the Americas. They need each other. Lula recalled that throughout the last century, the United States was Brazil’s main trading partner until China overtook it. He believes the relationship still has room to strengthen.

Lula, the devil’s advocate. The Brazilian president once again intervened on behalf of Cuba, the 67-year-old dictatorship with zero free elections. He asserted that President Trump does not want to invade the island but rather engage in dialogue.

Lula doesn’t care about Brazil, only his personal political agenda. No serious president attends a bilateral meeting to intercede on behalf of a dictatorship, asking for sanctions to be lifted and for the regime not to be removed. A deplorable act.

Lula was afraid. He fled the White House and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy. There, he controlled the narrative, the lights, the giant screen, the staging, and most importantly, the President of the United States wasn’t there.





I’d also like to point out that I find it funny that this meeting took place when Rubio was notably absent (he’s been in Italy over the past few days, meeting with the pope and other officials there). Lula has refused to negotiate with Rubio in the past, calling him a stumbling block. Latin American dictators seem to hate our dear Secretary of State. 

Reminder: Lula is up for reelection in October. His main opponent is Flávio Bolsonaro, Jair’s son. While Lula once had a pretty decent lead in the polls, he’s now practically tied with the younger Bolsonaro. He doesn’t have a lot to stand on right now, and the Trump administration doesn’t have a lot of patience for him. He’s kind of at Trump’s mercy.  

Costa Rica’s New President 

Finally, a feel-good story. The people of our hemisphere — inside the U.S. and out — have lost their patience when it comes to organized crime, drug trafficking, violence, and gangs. That’s why Costa Rica went to the polls early this year and elected Laura Fernández Delgado, who promises to be a female Nayib Bukele when it comes to crime. 

Fernández officially took office today. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was in San José representing the United States. As I’ve been reporting, Costa Rica has become increasingly close with the U.S. over the past year, whether it’s helping us fight cartels or moving away from China in order to do business with us, and I can’t wait to see that relationship grow under the new president. 

Here’s the ceremony: 





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I have some stuff on Mexico, but I think I’ll save that for a separate article because it’s a lot, and I know my editor Chris Queen is standing on his head, waiting for me to finish so he can “enjoy his Friday night.” Psssht.  

So I guess that’s all I’ve got for now. As I say, Rubio isn’t handing me exclusives… yet, but he seems to be a bit occupied in Rome this week, so I guess I’ll let him off the hook. Plus, I think I’ve written so many articles about him this week that the State Department may or may not have taken out a restraining order. Kidding! I think. But what can I say? He’s done a lot worth writing about.  

Have a good weekend, y’all!  


Editor’s Note: Hollywood, academia, and liberal elites are out of touch with the average American.

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