Former President Donald Trump officially acknowledged Sunday that he and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro are on speaking terms. In addition, tensions between the United States and Venezuela have recently reached a combative, if not absurd, fever pitch. This is particularly the case when it comes to Trump’s drug trafficking claims connected to Maduro’s government.
In keeping with this growing trend toward bellicosity, later that same day, Trump announced that the airspace over and around Venezuela is “closed entirely.” What does this exciting statement mean on the ground for the region?
In fact, in recent weeks, Trump has been laying the groundwork for a banana republic coup in Venezuela. He is especially interested in stopping Maduro’s pernicious role in flooding the US with illegal drugs that have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Once again human rights organizations have widely condemned such a position. They attack U.S. military strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings of civilians. Several other U.S. allies have voiced concerns over Washington’s expanding military footprint in the region. They are afraid that such actions would be contrary to international law.
…a second strike Trump mentioned military action against drug traffickers in the Caribbean, I would investigate that for sure. This strike reportedly resulted in civilian deaths during a September operation. He also asserted that he himself never would have authorized such a strike.
“I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call.” – Donald Trump
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went on to pronounce those strikes lawful in fact. He made clear that they are intended to be “lethal.” In a recent speech to members of the military, Trump declared that ground operations targeting suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers are forthcoming. He strongly hinted that these operations would start “very soon.”
Maduro and his administration, they’ve so far made no mention of Trump’s phone call. In a largely unrelated but key unfolding story, Jorge Rodríguez, Venezuela’s national assembly president, announced an investigation today into U.S. boat attacks in the Caribbean. At the same press conference, he repeated that the meeting between Maduro and Trump was not the heart of their dialogue.
To this day, Nicolás Maduro has denied any involvement in the illegal narcotic trade. Yet he claims that his administration is committed to combatting drug trafficking.