One dance move too many: Maduro's regular TV gigs irked Trump to strike Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro's on-air dance routines, seen by Washington as deliberate provocation, played a key role in the Trump administration's decision to move against the Venezuelan leader and bomb the Latin American country, The New York Times reported.

According to the report, senior officials in President Donald Trump's team interpreted Maduro's recent lighthearted television appearances as open mockery of US warnings. One official described the tipping point as "one dance move too many".

In a video that went viral, Maduro was shown bouncing to electronic music on state television while a recorded voice repeated in English, "No crazy war". The broadcast came days after the United States carried out a strike on a Venezuelan dock it said was linked to drug trafficking, heightening tensions between the two countries.

Maduro had earlier rejected an ultimatum from President Trump to step down and accept exile in Turkey, people familiar with transition talks told the newspaper. Instead, he continued making public appearances that projected defiance and nonchalance.

US officials quoted in the report said these displays convinced some in the White House that Maduro was attempting to call Washington's bluff, prompting a decision to act on earlier military threats.

On Saturday, an elite US military unit launched a pre-dawn operation in Caracas, detaining Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transporting them to New York, where he will now face drug trafficking charges.

- Ends