Visegrad24: Bombs and Barrels: Trump’s Contradictory Venezula Policy
By Kyle Moran
For the first time since taking office, Trump authorized lethal force against Venezuelan drug smugglers. The U.S. military struck a vessel from their narco fleet in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 suspected traffickers. Trump immediately broadcast the footage on Truth Social.
"Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America," he wrote. "BEWARE!"
The strike represents the latest escalation in Trump’s steadily intensifying pressure campaign. Over the past month, he’s deployed multiple warships, thousands of troops, and surveillance aircraft to the Caribbean, all clearly pointed at Caracas. Maduro, Venezuela’s socialist strongman, has responded by mobilizing 4.5 million militia members and declaring that the country would become a “republic in arms” if attacked, calling it the greatest threat to his country in a century.