Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US authorities of “fabricating a brand new everlasting battle” in opposition to him, because the plane provider USS Gerald R Ford inches towards the Venezuelan coast.
The US deployment of the provider – the world’s largest warship – follows 11 US strikes on boats in Venezuelan waters, which the US claims are trafficking medicine and are linked to the Tren de Aragua legal gang.
On Tuesday, Venezuela suspended a major gas deal with neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, citing the island nation’s reception of the USS Gravely, one other US warship.
Up to now, the US has not produced any proof that the Venezuelan boats it has focused had been carrying medicine, and Maduro denies it. “Venezuela is a rustic that doesn’t produce cocaine leaves,” he mentioned final week. Moreover, consultants say that the majority medicine are smuggled into the US by way of the Mexican land border – by US residents.
Hypothesis that Trump is definitely angling for regime change in Venezuela is mounting, however it isn’t the one nation whose home affairs or relations with different international locations Trump appears decided to intervene in. The US president has additionally made feedback about, or direct strikes in direction of, the inner affairs of Brazil, India, Israel and Argentina, amongst others.
What’s the US doing within the Caribbean and why?
The US has constructed up an enormous military presence, together with nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and elite particular operations forces, within the Caribbean. It says that is vital for its safety – and to forestall an “invasion” by Venezuelan drug gangs.
Trump has mentioned he’s considering land attacks and has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela.
Since September 2, US forces have struck 11 boats, with eight of the assaults occurring within the Caribbean, claiming that they’re trafficking medicine to the US. A minimum of 49 individuals have been killed within the assaults – however the US has not offered any proof to again its claims.
Whereas the US has named the infamous legal gang, Tren de Aragua, in reference to its claims of drug smuggling, the gang is primarily recognized for contract killings, extortion and other people smuggling. It’s not recognized for main international drug trafficking operations.
World cocaine manufacturing hit a file 3,708 tonnes in 2023. It primarily originated in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, based on the UN Workplace on Medicine and Crime (UNODC). Most US-bound cocaine routes undergo Colombia, Peru and Ecuador relatively than Venezuela, which serves as solely a minor transit hall.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported final yr that 84 % of US-seized cocaine comes from Colombia and didn’t point out Venezuela as a supply.
Is Trump actually angling for regime change in Venezuela?
Maduro has alleged this, however it’s an allegation Trump has not responded to.
“They’re in search of a regime change by means of navy risk,” Maduro mentioned in September.
“The aim of US actions is to create legitimacy for an operation to alter the regime in Venezuela, with the last word objective of taking management of all of the nation’s sources,” the Maduro authorities acknowledged once more this month.
On Friday final week, Maduro acknowledged throughout a nationwide broadcast: “They’re fabricating an extravagant narrative, a vulgar, legal and completely faux one,” referring to the US narrative that Venezuelan drug gangs are “invading” the US.
Maduro returned to energy final yr following a disputed election. He was broadly accused of election fraud by the US and a few Latin American international locations. The Carter Heart and UN consultants reported that the election lacked worldwide requirements and transparency.
Since then, the US has not formally recognised Maduro’s presidency or maintained diplomatic relations with Venezuela since 2019. This yr’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to key opposition determine Maria Corina Machado, who’s presently in hiding for concern of arrest.
Moreover, Trump has alleged, with out proof, that Maduro is the chief of Tren de Aragua.
On October 15 on the White Home, reporters questioned Trump on his stance in direction of Caracas.
“Does the CIA have authority to take out Maduro?” one journalist requested.
Trump responded: “Oh, I don’t wish to reply a query like that. That’s a ridiculous query for me to be given. Probably not a ridiculous query, however wouldn’t it’s a ridiculous query for me to reply? However I feel Venezuela’s feeling warmth.”
Why would Trump intervene in Venezuela?
Consultants say Trump has numerous incentives.
Reputation at house
The primary motive is that his actions in direction of Venezuela are standard along with his MAGA assist base, who’re demanding a crackdown on immigration, medicine and crime.
“Seen stress within the Americas helps him declare outcomes on migration, medicine, and crime, which resonates with elements of his coalition in Florida and Texas,” Salvador Santino Regilme, an affiliate professor at Leiden College within the Netherlands, advised Al Jazeera.
Heading off Russia and China
A second motive is that Trump might wish to reveal to his supporters that he’s heading off geopolitical competitors within the Americas from different rivals.
“Venezuela is a stage to undercut the presence of Russia, Iran, and China within the hemisphere and to reassert a contemporary model of the Monroe Doctrine,” Regilme mentioned, referring to the US overseas coverage doctrine coined by President James Monroe in 1823, which decrees that North and South America ought to be free from European affect.
In September this yr, the Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research (CSIS) suppose tank launched a report that confirmed that China and Russia’s navy diplomacy was rising in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report states China has hosted frequent high-level defence conferences, such because the China-LAC Protection Discussion board, and maintained common bilateral dialogues with senior officers from Brazil, Argentina and others.
Between 2022 and 2025, China performed 97 navy exchanges with 18 Latin American and Caribbean international locations. Russia has additionally performed high-level conferences with international locations, together with Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Negotiating energy
Third, Trump is constructing negotiation leverage in Latin America by means of his aggressive stance in direction of Venezuela.
“Sanctions aid and oil licensing are bargaining chips that Washington can commerce for political concessions in Caracas and for cooperation from neighbours,” Regilme mentioned.
Management of sources
Venezuela’s vitality sources – significantly ultra-heavy crude oil – have an element to play on this as nicely.
“It holds the world’s largest confirmed oil reserves, however a lot of that’s extra-heavy Orinoco crude that requires diluents, upgrading, and main capital to convey to market,” Regilme mentioned.
Regardless of having an ample provide, Venezuela will not be a high participant in hydrocarbons, he added, as its oil and fuel business has suffered from years of poor funding and worldwide sanctions.
“In follow, Washington’s leverage is much less about seizing hydrocarbons and extra about controlling the regulatory choke factors that decide who can make investments, ship, insure, and refine Venezuelan barrels. Selective licensing shapes international provide on the margins, influences value stability, and units the phrases for any political concessions in Caracas,” Regilme mentioned.
“Power is subsequently a lever inside a broader political technique, not the singular goal.”
The place else has Trump been meddling in home affairs?
Regilme mentioned Trump’s overseas coverage actions resembling his stance in direction of Venezuela had been predictable. “It continues his transactional, leader-to-leader fashion that mixes public spectacle with coercive leverage,” he mentioned.
“In workplace, he has paired tariffs, sanctions, and overt intelligence signalling with private diplomacy to stress each allies and adversaries. The strategy is secure throughout phrases: personalise energy, reward ideological pals, punish opponents, and stage toughness for a home viewers.”
Moreover, his interference in overseas international locations has not broken his reputation again house.
“These high-visibility strikes reliably energise core supporters in locations like Florida and elements of Texas, however they haven’t produced positive aspects amongst independents or youthful voters except they set off pocketbook prices, seen dysfunction on the border, or US casualties.”
Since he began his second time period, Trump has intervened within the home affairs of a handful of nations, together with:
Brazil: Bolsonaro trial
On September 11, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of trying to stage a coup as a way to maintain on to energy after he lost the country’s 2022 elections to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Trump and Bolsonaro are shut allies – the latter is sometimes called the “Trump of the south” – and Trump had very carefully adopted the trial. In July, Washington hit Brazilian imports with a 50 % commerce tariff and restricted US visas for Brazilian officials. Justifying the tariffs in a letter, Trump immediately related them to his anger over Bolsonaro’s trial, which was upcoming on the time and which he deemed a “witch-hunt”.
In July, Trump wrote on his Reality Social platform that Bolsonaro was “not responsible of something, besides having fought for THE PEOPLE”.
In September 9, a journalist requested White Home Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt whether or not Trump was contemplating additional motion in response to convictions or crackdowns stopping candidates like Bolsonaro from competing in Brazilian elections, and on censorship of US social media platforms in Europe and Brazil.
Leavitt responded: “The president is unafraid to make use of the financial would possibly, the navy would possibly of the USA of America to guard free speech world wide.”
India: Russian oil
In August, Trump introduced a further 25 % commerce tariff for India – bringing the whole to 50 % for many Indian items – and linked his decision to India’s persevering with buy of Russian oil, revenues from that are funding the battle in Ukraine, he mentioned.
In late July, he posted on his Reality Social platform that India was “Russia’s largest purchaser of ENERGY, together with China, at a time when everybody needs Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE – ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!”
This month, Trump claimed that the stress had paid off and that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to stop shopping for oil from Russia. “That’s an enormous step. Now we’re going to get China to do the identical factor,” Trump advised reporters within the White Home again then.
Since sanctions and a value cap had been launched on Russian oil by the European Union in response to the battle in Ukraine, India has massively elevated its Russian vitality imports.
The most important importer in India of Russian seaborne crude oil is Reliance Industries (RIL), for which Russian crude comprised a mere 3 % of complete crude imports in 2021. For the reason that battle in Ukraine, that has jumped to 50 % in 2025, based on information from the Finland-headquartered Centre for Analysis on Power and Clear Air (CREA).
In 2023, 16.8 % of Russian mineral merchandise resembling crude and refined petroleum went to India. These exports had been price $66.1bn. India was second solely to China, which acquired $129bn price, or 32.7 % of Russian mineral exports.
Israel: Netanyahu’s corruption trial
Since 2020, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been going through trial for corruption in three separate instances, which embody allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of belief.
When Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal which goals to finish the battle in Gaza, Trump was welcomed to the Israeli Knesset and hailed as “the president of peace”.
Speaking at the Knesset on October 13 and addressing Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Trump took the chance to foyer on Netanyahu’s behalf. “Mr President, why don’t you give him [Netanyahu] a pardon?”
Argentina: Propping up the financial system
Trump has thrown his support behind far-right Argentinian President Javier Milei, who led his occasion to a landslide victory in Sunday’s legislative elections, incomes a powerful mandate to push ahead along with his overhaul of the financial system, together with free-market reforms and deep austerity measures.
Trump, who described Milei as a “actually improbable and highly effective chief” on October 1, might have partly given him the means to do that.
“I’m doing one thing I don’t usually do … I’m giving my full endorsement to him,” Trump advised reporters after meeting with Milei on the sidelines of the UN Common Meeting (UNGA) in New York in September.
After a sequence of conferences with Argentina in September, the US pledged robust assist – together with the consideration of a $20bn bailout mortgage and different monetary measures to assist stabilise Argentina’s financial system.
Iran: Nuclear programme
In June, amid Israel’s battle with Iran, the US hit three key nuclear enrichment sites in Iran – Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow.
Trump’s rationale for this was that the strikes had been a part of a technique to forestall Iran from refining uranium to a weapons-grade stage.
“Tonight, I can report back to the world that the strikes had been a spectacular navy success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment services have been fully and completely obliterated,” Trump mentioned in a televised tackle after the assault.
