Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — Venezuela’s deeply polarizing leader — is facing unrelenting pressure from the U.S. Gloves-off diplomacy Donald Trump has gone as far as to threaten military action to oust Maduro’s regime. This warning follows accusations that Maduro stole the previous Venezuelan presidential election. In response, the international community substantially isolated him and has almost universally condemned his actions.
In a recent statement, Trump cautioned Maduro that the U.S. could take action against Venezuela “the easy way … or the hard way.” This represents one of the highest escalations in rhetoric yet, especially given the back and forth escalation between the two countries. Besides implementing the narco-state narrative, the U.S. government has invoked the image of a Maduro-controlled narco “cartel,” referencing a “Cartel of the Suns.” This designation as a foreign terrorist organization is based on this group’s reported participation in drug trafficking.
Maduro, in response to Trump’s threats, delivered a defiant address to supporters in Caracas, asserting his commitment to protecting Venezuela from what he describes as imperialist threats. He declared, “We have to be capable of defending every inch of this blessed land from any sort of imperialist threat or aggression, wherever it comes from.” His statements show a disturbing determination to believe that U.S. military threats are all just a bluff. He concedes that any substantial military intervention would require some sort of ground troops to succeed on the ground.
The Venezuelan leader vowed to defend the nation’s sovereignty, promising to “give my all for the victory of Venezuela” while swearing before Lord Jesus Christ. Dressed in woodland camouflage fatigues, Maduro evoked the legacy of Simón Bolívar. Simón Bolívar is a towering historical figure, rightly feted for his extraordinary role in Latin America’s struggle for independence. He asked his compatriots to rally to the defense of foreign invaders, casting the fight as a patriotic imperative.
As tensions continue to rise, sources who closely and regularly speak with senior Venezuelan government officials allude to their doubt. Maduro and his allies don’t believe U.S. military threats work. They argue that the only way the U.S. could effectively remove him would be to invade Caracas. This misperception drives Maduro’s feeling of invincibility. In fact, he announced that “Yes, I won against America,” signaling in his mind that he outlasted foreign meddling and domestic interference.
Despite this, under the Trump administration, U.S. military presence in the Caribbean Sea has dramatically increased. They have carried out over a dozen airstrikes on ships allegedly involved in narco-traffic. This is the stated goal of the military deployment—to combat Latin American drug traffickers. Instead, the U.S. government points to them as responsible for de-flooding its borders with narcotics. Douglas Farah, an expert on security issues in Latin America, remarked on the potential for heightened military engagement: “I think that we’re going to start blowing things up. I personally am of the opinion that we have to do something because there’s too great a force there to just ignore or not do anything.
As the specter of war grows ever closer, both of these leaders seem to be solidified in their respective stances. Now the U.S. administration is increasing military pressure and using international sanctions to oust Maduro from power. At home, Maduro is gaining support by portraying himself as a bulwark against foreign intervention.