The United States is opening a new front in global warfare. President Donald Trump has declared that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's days are 'numbered.' This statement came as the U.S. undertakes the largest military buildup in the Caribbean in over 35 years.
In a Sunday interview, President Trump remarked that Maduro's regime has not only been a hub for drugs and crime directed at the U.S. but is also responsible for the mass exodus of Venezuelan people.
Trump stated, "They have treated us very poorly, and not just in terms of drugs. They've released millions into our country that we didn't want, including people from their prisons. They've emptied their jails into our nation." "Consider this, they even emptied their mental and psychiatric institutions into the United States."
The tension between the U.S. and Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela peaked during President Trump’s second term in 2025. The Trump administration regards Maduro as a 'narco-terrorist' and conducts military actions over alleged drug trafficking charges. Trump asserted that Nicolás Maduro's days as President of Venezuela are 'numbered.'
Maduro has been governing Venezuela since 2013. Allegations claim he manipulated the elections in 2019 and 2023. Observers believe that he would have suffered a heavy defeat if fair elections had been conducted.
The Venezuelan opposition leader, and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, has claimed that if Maduro is ousted, many of the 8 million Venezuelans who fled his regime will return to their homeland.
U.S. Military Preparations
The U.S. military is upgrading a Cold War-era naval base in the Caribbean that has been dormant for a long time. This indicates sustained military operations are being prepared, suggesting potential U.S. military actions might be directed at Venezuela.
Source: aajtak
According to photographs from the news agency Reuters, construction work was ongoing at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Navy closed this base more than 20 years ago, but it is being made operational once again.
The U.S. naval base is approximately 500 miles away from Venezuela.
Source: aajtak
Before the navy's withdrawal in 2004, Roosevelt Roads was among the largest U.S. naval bases worldwide. An American official has mentioned that this base is strategically located and offers ample space for assembling equipment.
Apart from upgrading the landing and take-off capabilities at Roosevelt Roads, the U.S. is constructing facilities at civilian airports in Puerto Rico and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. These locations are also about 500 miles from Venezuela.
