Over the last couple of months, something has been building in Venezuela. Donald Trump and his team have framed it generically as simply going after drug cartels, but I'm convinced there's more to it. I'm convinced that we're going to go after the country's illegitimate president Nicolás Maduro — who is technically a cartel leader; his whole government's a cartel of sorts — but I just haven't been sure how or when.
I have lots of evidence to back this up. Marco Rubio has wanted to do this for years, and I think he's now in a position to make it happen. I'm seeing growing opposition from inside Venezuela through my own connections and sources, and I see increasing hope in opposition leaders such as María Corina Machado. Pressure on Maduro from the international community has expanded in recent months: We've seized some of his assets, placed new sanctions on him, put up a $50 million reward for his arrest, and we're blowing up his drug boats. Our military presence in the Caribbean Sea continues to grow, and I've sent an awful lot of video going around of our men and women in uniform seemingly preparing for... something. Maduro's own actions and words prove that he is rattled and mostly backed into a corner due to these intimidation tactics, but perhaps he knows that more is coming.
And if we are to believe "sources" NBC spoke to exclusively, it is.
Normally, I wouldn't believe NBC if it told me the sky is blue, but I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day. What the outlet is reporting aligns with what I've been guessing at all along, too, so I'm going to go with it. NBC claims that it spoke with two United States officials "familiar with the planning," and two other sources "familiar with the discussions." They spoke anonymously because they were "not authorized to discuss the plans publicly."
The sources say that our military is drawing up plans to target drug traffickers inside Venezuela's borders within a matter of weeks, though President Trump hasn't officially approved anything. "The plans being discussed primarily focus on drone strikes against drug trafficking groups’ members and leadership, as well as targeting drug labs," according to those sources
When NBC reached out to the White House, it got the standard reply Trump himself has given reporters in recent weeks: "We’ll see what happens."
Apparently, Middle Eastern leaders are serving as intermediaries, and the sources say Maduro is willing to make some concessions to the U.S. in order to remain in power, but it's not enough in the eyes of some of the Trump administration. Rubio is said to be one of the people pushing for what many perceive as regime change. The thing is, the U.S. doesn't even recognize Maduro as Venezuela's president, seeing as how he stole the 2024 elections.
Related: Trump Gets a Letter From Maduro. Venezuela Gets More Trouble at Sea. Democrats Melt Down.
So what do the people in Venezuela and the United States think about all of this?
Maduro still has some support inside his country, and he's even recruited many Venezuelan nationals to join his civilian militia, which is currently reportedly training to act should the U.S. invade. However, if you've read about or seen videos of this militia, it's pretty laughable, and appears largely made up of retirees and out-of-shape housewives. Maduro claims he's rallied millions, but by most accounts I've read, that isn't true, not even close.
🇻🇪 From grandmothers to students, the people of Venezuela are training with rifles, not for war but to defend their land.
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) September 24, 2025
As U.S. pressure mounts in the South Caribbean, nationwide militias are forming under government guidance. These aren’t just military drills. This is mass… pic.twitter.com/zWX4CL49LY
What is true is that his support within the country is weakening. The people are living at poverty levels. They're starving. They can no longer get jobs in their fields. They're fleeing the country. They're finally rejecting Chavismo loud and clear.
Since late 2024, inflation has soared and the Venezuelan bolívar keeps losing value. Prices rise weekly, and salaries don’t cover food. The Venezuelan regime is the sole culprit of its currency’s devaluation—and Venezuelans pay the price. pic.twitter.com/955ZT5AFow
— Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (@WHAAsstSecty) July 28, 2025
A survey conducted in Venezuela in late August confirms that "Venezuelans believe President Nicolás Maduro’s grip on power is slipping, with a strong majority rejecting his legitimacy and looking to opposition leader María Corina Machado — and to a possible U.S. intervention — to bring about change."
Of the 1,200 people polled, 70% "no longer identify with the socialist political movement founded by the late president Hugo Chávez." 63% said Maduro is not the country's legitimate president. Most believe that Edmundo González Urrutia won the election in 2024, and should be in power. 61% say the regime is weaker than it was in 2024, and most say they believe Maduro and this thugs will fall within the next six months. A little over a third of participants think it could happen even sooner. Around 75% want the U.S. to intervene and get rid of their dictator by almost any means necessary.
As for the U.S., I reported last week that a solid majority of American citizens support the recent military strikes on Venezuela's drug boats (except the Democrats in the senate who seem to think Maduro is just a cool misunderstood dude). As for regime change or military intervention, there isn't a ton of polling data out there, and what I do find is conflicting, but that doesn't appear to be quite as popular as military strikes in international waters (though based on my own informal monitoring of the comments on my Venezuela pieces here at PJM, I think some people are increasingly in favor of taking Maduro out if it doesn't become a long and drawn-out process that takes up years of U.S. time, money, and military resources).
Interviewers have asked Rubio about this in recent weeks, and he insists it's not a matter of regime change because the U.S. (and "50-something" other nations) do not recognize Maduro as el presidente. He says we're not getting involved in "international affairs" because the problems coming out of Venezuela, such as drug trafficking, have very much become "internal affairs" for the U.S.
Personally, I'm in favor of it. Venezuela's opposition leaders, the ones who technically won the 2024 elections, are organized and ready to take power — though it won't be easy — and they're ready to work alongside the U.S. to bring prosperity to both nations. I'm in favor of it from a humanitarian aspect for the people of Venezuela and a national security aspect for our country. Plus, taking out Maduro would be a major blow to China, Russia, and Iran, who are dying to dig themselves deeper into the Western Hemisphere — our own backyard. It would also likely weaken Cuba and Nicaragua and potentially help rid our hemisphere of the communism that has worn out its welcome.
I actually have a very lengthy list of reasons the U.S. should get involved that I'm working on to publish next week, that I hope you guys will read and consider, so I'll save the rest of my arguments for that. I just wanted to get this latest news out there first. As the president says, "We'll see what happens."
I'll leave you with this, a video the State Department literally put out as I was writing this article. Perfect timing.
The Trump Administration will degrade, dismantle, and eliminate foreign terrorist organizations. We will free the Western Hemisphere from the grip of narco-terrorists. pic.twitter.com/4VRDVDkCe4
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 27, 2025
The mainstream media seems reluctant to cover Maduro and his regime, and when they do they treat him like he's any other world leader. At PJ Media, we won't do that. We recognize Maduro as a threat to our national security and humanity in general, and we'll call him out until he falls — or I know I will. But we can only bring you stories like these with your help.
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