On Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump laid down the gauntlet. He disclosed that US military had executed a “kinetic strike” against a drug-laden Venezuelan vessel. At the close of a wide-ranging press briefing at the White House, Trump dropped this bomb. He addressed the pernicious plague of drug trafficking that’s memorializing our country. He stated, “We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country,” underscoring the administration’s commitment to combating this crisis.
This operation is part of a much larger naval buildup aimed to continue the fight against drug traffickers throughout Latin America. According to officials from the Trump administration, these traffickers are deeply tied to the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, allegedly led by Nicolás Maduro. President Trump’s secret directive, signed last July, has already given the green light to attack Latin American cartels designated as terrorist organizations under US military law. This even applies to their operators based out of Venezuela.
The details surrounding this strike, unfortunately, remain very murky. Trump’s statement implied that it occurred just recently, though he failed to specify whether or not the vessel was operating inside Venezuelan territorial waters. His administration has lagged the charge on Venezuela, understandably drawing concern for an inconsistent policy of harsh military-style rhetoric countered by a desire for negotiation. Reports suggest that Trump’s administration has been “actively coordinating with the Maduro regime on deportation flights,” with two flights landing weekly at Venezuela’s main international airport.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn suggested last week that Maduro’s days are numbered. He suggested Maduro himself should take exile in Moscow. Flynn’s remarks summon the growing suspicion among some U.S. officials. They know that a change in power may be only a few heartbeats away in Venezuela.
Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Latin America Centre, commented on the implications of the strike, stating, “Everything is hinging on where this strike took place.” He further observed that this possible military action would not seek regime change. Rather, it would be a gesture to disaffected factions of the Venezuelan military.
“This is not a deployment focused on regime change. This may be an attempt to signal to disaffected elements of the military in Venezuela that now is the time to rise up against Maduro. But we’ve seen that approach be tried and fail repeatedly over the last 25 years.” – Geoff Ramsey
Trump’s administration has previously announced a $50 million reward for Maduro’s capture, doubling the bounty that was once offered for Osama bin Laden. This militaristic stance reflects an escalated effort to tear down drug trafficking networks linked to the Venezuelan regime.
Told Marco Rubio, an important backchannel of Trump, shed some light on what went down on social media. He referred to it as a “lifestyle strike” against an accused drug trafficker’s ship originating from Venezuela. James Story, the longtime U.S. diplomat for Venezuela from 2018–2023, said he was pessimistic on the prospect of invasion wholesale. So he started to challenge the truth of that idea.
“The idea of there being an invasion, I don’t believe to be true.” – James Story
As tensions escalate, Maduro recently threatened Trump to pull back from his military adventures. He cautioned that Rubio is looking to force the president into a lose-lose situation. This would result in millions in additional bloodshed among Latin American peoples.
“Mr President [Donald Trump], you need to take care because Marco Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood – with South American, Caribbean blood [and] Venezuelan blood. They want to lead you into a bloodbath … with a massacre against the people of Venezuela.” – Nicolás Maduro