The White House Warns 'FAFO'... Releases Trump Photo After Maduro's Arrest

[Financial News] The White House drew attention after posting a message meaning 'Fuck Around and Find Out' on its official social media account, accompanied by a photo of President Donald Trump, following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
On the 3rd local time, the day of the operation to arrest Maduro, the White House uploaded a black-and-white photo to X and Instagram showing President Trump ascending stairs with a determined expression. The phrase 'FAFO' was prominently displayed on the image.
'FAFO' is an American slang acronym for 'Fuck Around and Find Out.'
Along with the photo, the White House posted the message, 'No more games. FAFO.'
With the United States strengthening its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere by arresting President Maduro through a military operation, the message is interpreted as a stern warning that actions contrary to U.S. interests will be met with thorough retaliation, as demonstrated in the recent operation.
Last September, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also remarked during a speech to military generals at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia that if adversaries challenge the U.S., 'we will show them FAFO.'
The photo in question is particularly notable because it was taken at Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30 of last year.
At that time, President Trump visited Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Gimhae Air Base.
The photo was originally released by the White House through its website gallery under the title 'President Trump attends a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping.'
Amid analysis that one of the goals of the Maduro arrest operation was to curb the growing influence of China and Russia in the Western Hemisphere—often referred to as America’s backyard—some interpret the choice of a photo taken on the day of the summit with President Xi as a deliberate move by the White House.
On the 3rd, the Trump administration, in an operation named 'Resolute Resolve,' raided President Maduro’s safe house in Caracas, the capital of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, arresting him and his wife and extraditing them to New York.
President Maduro was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn (MDC Brooklyn), and on the 5th, court proceedings began to determine whether he would plead guilty. He faces charges of conspiring with drug cartels to smuggle narcotics into the United States.
While the primary reason for the Trump administration’s operation was the 'war on drugs,' it is also seen as a strategy to regain control over oil in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the world’s largest oil reserve holder, and to solidify U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
At a press conference on the 3rd, President Trump declared that the United States would govern the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela until a proper transfer of power takes place. He reiterated the 'Donroe Doctrine,' stating, 'America’s dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be questioned.'
The 'Donroe Doctrine' is a portmanteau combining President Trump’s name with the 'Monroe Doctrine,' the diplomatic policy proclaimed by President James Monroe in 1823 rejecting European interference in the Americas. The Trump administration has expressed its determination to block the expanding influence of external forces such as China and Russia in Latin America.
hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter