Axios: Trump sends missile ships and over 4 000 troops to Venezuela. The ultimate goal of the operation is unknown

The US President Donald Trump has ordered seven warships with 4 500 personnel to be sent to the coast of Venezuela, including three guided-missile destroyers and at least one attack submarine.

Axios writes about this, citing White House officials.

The US reported a $50 million bounty on the head of President Nicolas Maduro on August 7. The next day, Trump ordered the military to go after drug cartels in Latin America.

Officially, the ships were sent to combat drug trafficking. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on August 28 that the United States considers Nicolas Maduro a “fugitive drug cartel leader” and not the legitimate president of Venezuela.

“This is 105% about narcoterrorism, but if Maduro is no longer in power, no one will cry,” said one Trump administration official familiar with the policy discussions.

A second administration official thinks otherwise.

“This could be Noriega, part two,” he said, referring to the 1989 US military operation to capture Panamanian President Manuel Noriega (who, like Maduro, was charged by the US with drug trafficking).

"The president asked for a menu of options. And ultimately, itʼs up to the president to decide what to do next, but Maduro has to take the piss," the official said.

A third Trump adviser put it this way:

“Leaving Maduro in power in Venezuela is like making Jeffrey Epstein the head of a kindergarten.”

While administration officials have not ruled out an invasion, almost everyone privately considers it unlikely. But Trumpʼs deployment includes 2 200 Marines, which is unusual in a drug war.

Oil is another important factor in the US relationship with Venezuela, which has the worldʼs largest proven reserves. Just before calling Maduro a terrorist, Trump eased the pressure somewhat by allowing the resumption of an oil pumping deal between Venezuela and Chevron.

Trump initially made oil requests to Maduro through special envoy Rick Grenell. But he also appointed Marco Rubio, a former Maduro opponent, as secretary of state and national security adviser. In Rubio’s vision, Maduro’s regime is supported by Cuban intelligence, while Venezuela supports the Cuban economy with cheap oil.

While many find it difficult to imagine an actual invasion, officials consider aggressive interceptions of suspected drug-trafficking boats off the Venezuelan coast almost inevitable. One official said that “some boats will definitely be caught or sunk”.

Air strikes are also possible. Sources suggest that sparsely populated jungle areas could be targeted if cocaine production or a cartel is suspected. A new munitions factory built by Russia could also be targeted.

Some in Trumpʼs inner circle even believe that Maduro could be targeted by a drone strike, given that he is officially suspected of terrorism. Officials who spoke to Axios downplayed that possibility.

What preceded

During Trumpʼs first term, the US government accused Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials of a number of crimes, including narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking.

At the time, the US Department of Justice alleged that Maduro was collaborating with the Colombian FARC rebel group to "use cocaine as a weapon to ʼfloodʼ the United States".

• Nicolas Maduro came to power in March 2013, following the death of his predecessor Hugo Chavez. He is accused of holding undemocratic elections in August 2024, his third six-year presidential term. Western countries, including the United States, have not recognized Maduroʼs victory in the last elections in August 2024. Ukraine also does not recognize him as legitimate.
• Under Maduroʼs rule, the country found itself in a deep economic crisis, exacerbated, in particular, by US sanctions.
• He is also isolated from Western countries and is subject to US sanctions. Maduro has repeatedly declared his support for Russia and accused the US of invading Ukraine.

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