Is Trump’s Call with Maduro a Backdoor Ultimatum? Tensions Boil as U.S. Warships Circle Venezuela
As warships prowl the Caribbean and covert operations intensify, President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing for a private telephone conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—a move shrouded in secrecy, with no confirmed date and no public hints as to what Trump might say.
The potential call comes amid an unprecedented U.S. military buildup just off Venezuela’s coast. In the past two months alone, American forces have repeatedly destroyed speedboats in the Caribbean, labeling them narcotics transport vessels. Washington insists these strikes are part of a broader campaign against transnational crime and drug trafficking—but Caracas sees them as acts of aggression that dangerously escalate hostilities.
Relations between the two nations have reached a breaking point. The White House has quietly greenlit CIA-led covert actions inside Venezuela to destabilize Maduro’s regime, while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a staggering 50 million dollar bounty for information leading to Maduro’s arrest—accusing him of colluding with terrorist groups to smuggle drugs into the United States.
Satellite imagery analyzed last month placed the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and its escort fleet just 200 kilometers from La Orchila Island, home to one of Venezuela’s most critical air bases and radar installations. Meanwhile, the Miami Herald reported that U.S. strikes inside Venezuelan territory could come “in the coming days.”
Trump has publicly declared that “Maduro’s days are numbered,” yet insists Washington has “no plans to go to war.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that stance, dismissing media speculation about imminent invasion as “false.” Still, the military signals tell a different story.
In mid-November, the U.S. Navy deployed its most advanced warship, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, into the Caribbean. With a crew of 4,000 and a full complement of tactical aircraft, the carrier strike group now operates under U.S. Southern Command—a deployment ordered personally by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth back in October.
Adding to the tension, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane, just completed a rare second visit to the region in as many months. Accompanied by senior adviser David L. Izum, Kane met with troops in Puerto Rico and aboard a warship in the Caribbean, thanking them for their “outstanding support” in what officials describe as increasingly complex regional missions.
The U.S. is preparing to launch a new phase of operations against Venezuela—potentially culminating in Maduro’s removal. Yet other reports that Trump remains divided, weighing multiple scenarios, including the possibility of doing nothing at all.
Behind the scenes, Venezuelan officials have reached out through multiple backchannels, seeking direct talks with the Trump administration. Preliminary discussions about a potential Trump-Maduro conversation have taken place, though no agreement on format or timing has been finalized.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters last night that Trump is “pleased” with recent strikes on suspected drug vessels—fueling speculation that military pressure is being used as leverage ahead of any diplomatic overture.
With warships circling, bounties posted, and a phone call possibly in the works, the world watches to see whether Trump will choose confrontation or negotiation—or if the line between the two has already blurred beyond recognition.
