U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday (November 14, 2025) he has “sort of” made up his mind about Venezuela, as his escalating military deployment in Latin America has ignited concerns about a wider regional conflict.

“I sort of made up my mind,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he travelled to his estate in Florida.

“I can’t tell you what it is, but we made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in,” Mr. Trump added.

In recent weeks, Washington has deployed warships, fighter jets and thousands of soldiers to Latin America and launched strikes on 21 alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing at least 80 people.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in Latin America on Tuesday with the stated goal of helping to counter drug trafficking in the region.

But Caracas fears the U.S. military deployment, which also includes F-35 stealth warplanes sent to Puerto Rico and US Navy ships in the Caribbean, is a regime change plot in disguise.

CBS News on Wednesday (November 12, 2025) cited multiple sources as saying senior military officials had presented Mr. Trump with updated options for potential operations in Venezuela, including strikes on land.

On November 2, Mr. Trump downplayed the prospect of going to war with Venezuela but said the days of Nicolas Maduro — whom he accuses of being a drug lord — were numbered.

Colombia’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, has also alleged that the ultimate goal of the US deployment is to seize Venezuela’s oil wealth and destabilize Latin America.

Venezuela has announced its own nationwide military deployment to counter the growing U.S. naval presence off its coast.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday (August 28, 2025) there was “no way” U.S. troops could invade Venezuela after Washington deployed five warships and 4,000 troops to the Caribbean to pressure the leftist strongman.

The United States said the deployment to the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela’s territorial waters, is an anti-drug trafficking operation.

Venezuela has responded by sending warships and drones to patrol its coastline and launching a drive to recruit thousands of militia members to bolster its defenses.

“There’s no way they can enter Venezuela,” Mr. Maduro said, vowing that his country was well prepared to defend its “peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The United States has, however, made no public threat to invade.

Mr. Maduro, who claimed a disputed third term in July 2024 elections, has been in U.S. President Donald Trump’s sights ever since the Republican’s first term in office.

Since returning to power in January, Mr. Trump’s attacks on Venezuela have focused chiefly on its powerful gangs, some of which operate inside the United States.

Washington accuses Mr. Maduro of heading a cocaine trafficking cartel, Cartel de los Soles, which the Trump administration has designated a terrorist organization.

The United States recently doubled its bounty to $50 million for Mr. Maduro’s capture to face drug charges.

Mr. Maduro, who succeeded socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez in 2013, has accused Mr. Trump of attempting to effect regime change.