Trump says US watching situation in Venezuela 'very closely'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned the United States was watching the situation in Venezuela "very closely," as it unleashed new sanctions targeting the crisis-wracked country's ties with Cuba. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Trump assailed Venezuela's socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, as "a Cuban puppet, protected by Cuban bodyguards."

"The United States has vast humanitarian aid to be delivered," Trump said, adding Washington was "watching the Venezuela situation very closely." "We await the day when democracy will be restored when Venezuela will be free, and when liberty will prevail throughout this hemisphere," he said.