Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a press conference on Monday where he addressed the deployment of US warships off Venezuela’s coast and warned that if the US attacked, he would declare his country a “republic in arms” and engage in an “armed struggle.”
According to Newsweek, the US has deployed nine warships, including three guided-missile destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, and one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, toward Venezuela. The stated purpose of the deployment is to combat drug cartels, but there’s no evidence to support the US claim that Maduro is a cartel leader, signaling the real purpose is another regime change effort in Venezuela.
The Trump administration claims that Maduro is the leader of the Cartel of the Suns, a term used to describe a network of Venezuelan government and military officials allegedly involved in drug trafficking, but it does not actually exist as an organization. Maduro and other Latin American leaders, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro, have denied the US claims.
Maduro pointed out the involvement of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was a staunch supporter of the failed coup attempt against the Venezuelan leader during President Trump’s first term in office, and recently announced the bounty on Maduro’s head was increased to $50 million. “President Trump must be careful because Marco Rubio wants to drag him into a war against South America and stain the Trump name with blood,” he said.
In response to the US deployments, Maduro has deployed troops to the coast and the Colombian border, ordered additional naval patrols, and mobilized a pro-government militia he says has millions of members. “If Venezuela is attacked, we will resort to armed struggle to defend our national territory,” he said. “We would declare ourselves a republic in arms to guarantee our country’s peace, sovereignty, and development.”
Axios reported on Friday that the US is closer to an armed conflict with Venezuela than ever before and that advisors close to President Trump “aren’t entirely sure whether the gunboat diplomacy is a drug trafficking operation with undertones of regime change, or a Caracas coup operation masquerading as drug enforcement.”
One official claimed it was about drug trafficking, saying the purpose was “105% about narco-terrorism, but if Maduro winds up no longer in power, no one will be crying.” Another official had a different view, suggesting it could be “Noriega part 2,” referring to the 1989 US invasion of Panama that led to the ouster of Manuel Noriega.
“The president has asked for a menu of options. And ultimately, this is the president’s decision about what to do next, but Maduro should be s***ting bricks,” the official added. A third official said that leaving Maduro in power would be like “making Jeffrey Epstein the head of a daycare.”
The officials believe an invasion is unlikely but the Trump administration hasn’t ruled it out. Other options include launching airstrikes or missile strikes from US warships. The Axios report said that some in Trump’s orbit think there’s a possibility of launching a drone strike to take out Maduro, though other officials downplayed the idea. The report also said they are hoping Maduro negotiates an exit or members of Venezuela’s military assassinate him to collect the US bounty.
