President Donald Trump has ordered a significant increase in U.S. naval forces off the coast of Venezuela, citing efforts to combat “drug trafficking” as justification.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly invoked the war on drugs to defend a series of controversial moves — from imposing new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, to launching a crackdown on Latin American migrants.
Earlier this month, the U.S. doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, raising it to $50 million.
Washington refuses to recognize Maduro’s victory in the July 2024 presidential election, accusing him of heading an “international drug trafficking network.”
When asked yesterday whether U.S. forces might intervene directly in Venezuela, the White House press secretary said Trump is prepared to use “all means necessary” to “stop drugs from flooding into our country.”
In response, Maduro condemned the reward increase as a “pathetic and clumsy act of political propaganda.” On Monday, he announced the deployment of 4.5 million members of the Venezuelan National Militia to secure the country’s territory.
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