Update: On Friday, President Trump was asked if he was considering strikes within Venezuela and he responded, “No.”
The title of this article was changed to reflect the update.
Original Story
On Thursday night, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US military were poised to destroy Venezuelan military installations used by the drug-trafficking organization. The U.S. says the installations are headed by Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and run by top members of his regime.
That does make Maduro a narco-terrorist if accurate. Some reports say Venezuela is flooding the hemisphere with drugs.
Trump Denies It, For Now
“Unnamed sources don’t know what they’re talking about,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a Friday statement to Fox News Digital. “Any announcements regarding Venezuela policy would come directly from the President.”
Trump told reporters Friday on Air Force One a decision hadn’t been made about whether he would strike military targets within Venezuela, Bloomberg News reported.
President Trump has said for weeks that he could launch strikes in Venezuela. And we have a heavy military presence in the Caribbean. Trump is also stepping up the attacks on drug boats. It’s not unreasonable to think he’s going to strike at any minute.
What Is Going On?
It seems like it would be an operation like the one conducted in Iran. Bomb the key sites and then get out.
Sources told the Miami Herald that the targets – which could be struck by air in a matter of days or even hours – also aim to decapitate the cartel’s hierarchy.
U.S. officials believe the cartel exports around 500 tons of cocaine yearly, split between Europe and the United States.
While sources declined to say whether Maduro himself is a target, one of them said his time is running out, the Herald reports.
“Maduro is about to find himself trapped and might soon discover that he cannot flee the country even if he decided to,” the source said. “What’s worse for him, there is now more than one general willing to capture and hand him over, fully aware that one thing is to talk about death, and another to see it coming.”
Maduro wouldn’t be a loss, but I don’t like regime change policies in general. It also doesn’t sound very peaceful. It might kill Trump’s chances at a peace prize. China and Russia have warned President Trump against such action. It is a potential powder keg.
Reports from the US government and the UN, if you can believe them or anyone, say Venezuela isn’t a source of fentanyl and not the huge supplier of drugs that Mexico is. It could be about pushing Maduro out, sending a message in the region, or it’s about Russia and China. Trump wants Russia and China out of the hemisphere. It’s doubtful that we sent the military there to shoot up 14 drug boats.
Escalation in tensions between the US and Venezuela. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment of the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford towards Venezuela, along with its strike force. pic.twitter.com/3CD9e48OVn
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) October 24, 2025
We do not know what is going on behind the scenes. The chances are that any nation in that region which is not a friend of the USA is involved in the drug trade, because they all need money. I have no sympathy for communist military dictatorships. Maduro seized the ballots last time. He has a squad of motorcyclists terrorizing… Read more »