Venezuela was once one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The discovery of oil there in 1914, followed by the La Rosa field “blowout” in 1922, which proved the nation’s reserves, set Venezuela on a course for abundance. From the 1920s into the 1980s, the nation enjoyed incredible prosperity.
That began to change in the 1980s and ‘90s, when corruption, inflation, and other factors led to unrest, and eventually the rise of socialist strongman Hugo Chávez in 1999. His successor, Nicolás Maduro, took over in 2013. In the last three decades, nationalizing oil production led to a collapse in that industry, all while drug cartels rose in power and influence. Today, Venezuela under Maduro’s corrupt, strong-arm leadership is a failed narco-state.
Hence, the recent clashes with the Trump administration, which is tired of illicit drugs crossing our southern borders and killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.
In a statement released on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced, “The Department of State intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective November 24, 2025. Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary. Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government. Cartel de los Soles by and with other designated FTOs including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”
Later Sunday, President Donald Trump backed that up: “We’re stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country.”
Indeed, the U.S. has taken military action to destroy more than 20 Venezuelan drug boats in international waters (killing at least 80 narco-terrorists) since August, and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group has deployed to the Caribbean Sea, increasing pressure on the Maduro regime. “The land is going to be next,” Trump has threatened.
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out,” Trump said. “They would like to talk.”
Or sing. Maduro broke out into a brief rendition of John Lennon’s socialist utopian “Imagine” at a rally on Saturday. If that’s not a sign that he’s nervous about his tenuous grip on power, I don’t know what is. He allegedly stole the nation’s 2024 presidential election, a contributing factor in the latest Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Still, the Trump administration has remained strategically ambiguous about its ultimate strategy in Venezuela. Stop the cartels from trafficking drugs to the U.S. — that much is clear. Beyond that, is it regime change? No U.S. officials will say for sure, though the U.S. also does not officially recognize Maduro. Perhaps the calculation is to tighten the proverbial noose and compel Maduro to jump for his safety net.
“I don’t rule out anything,” President Trump answered on Monday when asked about putting U.S. boots on the ground. “We just have to take care of Venezuela.” How he does that while not angering some of the America Only crowd will be fascinating to watch.
