Pam Bondi stirred up a storm online after posting a dramatic video on X, announcing a whopping $50 million reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. She declared, “Today, the Department of Justice and State Department are announcing a historic $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro,” adding that he uses criminal cartels “to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country.”
Maduro, the authoritarian leader of Venezuela, has been clinging to power for years despite widespread claims of fraudulent elections and serious human rights violations. He’s been sanctioned by the U.S. many times over, and he’s certainly not been on America’s friends list — but a video treating him like a fugitive on the run within the U.S. triggered an avalanche of sarcasm and memes across social media.
Users were quick to mock the idea that a sitting foreign president could be treated like a wanted man hiding in someone’s backyard. Attorney Dilan Esper didn’t hold back, writing, “This is extraordinarily silly.” Preston Stewart, who often comments on foreign affairs, chimed in with, “Well that escalated quickly.”
Washington Post national security reporter John Hudson played along too, joking, “Where could he be,” while Semafor’s David Weigel dryly added, “He’s probably in Venezuela.” Olivia Julianna, a Democratic activist in Texas, jumped in with, “He is in Venezuela. Do y’all have Venmo? I know that was Gaetz’s preference,” throwing a jab at former Rep. Matt Gaetz and his own scandal-ridden history.
But it didn’t stop there. Daniel Chang Contreras, a Venezuelan-born political scientist and activist, offered up a more precise location. “Here he is: G35J+47F, Av. Nte. 10, Caracas 1012, Distrito Capital, Venezuela, Palacio de Miraflores,” he wrote — basically dropping the literal map coordinates of the Venezuelan presidential palace.
Others noted that this isn’t even the first time the U.S. has dangled money for tips on Maduro. Andrew Arenge from the Penn Program on Opinion Research pointed out, “Just yesterday, the US gov’t was running this paid digital ad targeted in Venezuela on Facebook offering $25M for info to help lead to the arrest of Maduro. Would be curious to understand what prompted them to double the award.”
The reaction wasn’t just jokes either. Some questioned the logic and timing of such a large bounty. “We don’t have money to fund domestic programs but are wealthy enough to fork over $50 million dollars for information leading to the arrest of a foreign leader who hasn’t committed a crime here in the US?” wrote Melik Abdul, a Republican strategist from Mississippi. “Where is the non-interventionist the rest of us voted for?”
Between the price tag and the over-the-top presentation, the Bondi video has left plenty of Americans scratching their heads — or laughing at the sheer absurdity.