Trump complained about 'foreign wars'. Is he creating one with Venezuela?

Venezuela is bracing for a possible US military strike as tensions with Washington mount. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has dispatched warships to the Caribbean and blown up three Venezuelan boats it accused of smuggling drugs.

The White House has also signalled its interest in removing President Nicolás Maduro from power. According to NBC News, the US is preparing options to strike drug targets inside Venezuela. Meanwhile, Caracas is arming civilian militias, fuelling fears of open conflict.

Washington brands Maduro a cartel boss

The military build-up has been matched by sharp rhetoric. Washington brands Maduro a cartel boss and a “fugitive of American justice.” Some officials concede the ultimate goal may be regime change. Maduro, accused of torture and grave human rights abuses, was declared the loser of the 2024 election by independent monitors but refused to step down. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has even said she would welcome US military help to oust him.

Warnings of chaos

Diplomats and business leaders warn that ousting Maduro could unleash chaos, with Venezuela’s military, Colombian guerrillas, and paramilitary gangs all competing for control of the country’s vast oil, gold, and mineral wealth. “You kill Maduro, you turn Venezuela into Haiti,” one businessman warned.

Echoes of past US’ wars

Talk of US-backed regime change stirs memories of Iraq and Afghanistan. Venezuela’s vice president argued that Americans “do not want war in the Caribbean.” Yet Trump campaigned on deportations, drug crackdowns, and winning over Hispanic voters who strongly oppose socialist governments like those in Venezuela and Cuba.

‘Our hemisphere’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been forthright: “We’re not going to have a cartel, operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere.” This focus on “our hemisphere” shows how the Trump administration sees Venezuela — not as a far-off crisis like Ukraine or Iraq, but as a direct challenge within America’s sphere of influence.

A wider Latin American push

The Venezuela stand-off is part of a broader Trump strategy in Latin America. Washington has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, bomb Mexican drug labs, intervened in Brazil on behalf of Jair Bolsonaro, and offered a $20 billion loan to support Argentina’s President Javier Milei.