Another key element of President Donald Trump’s agenda we’ll be tracking today involves growing tensions in the Caribbean, where the administration has been mounting a show of force as it targets alleged drug traffickers in the region.
Here’s what to know:
Trump mulls options: The president suggested last week that he has made up his mind on a course of action in the South American country following multiple high-level briefings this week.
Officials briefed Trump on options for military operations inside Venezuela, four sources told CNN, as he weighs the risks and benefits of launching a scaled-up campaign to potentially oust President Nicolás Maduro.
The president indicated Friday he was drawing closer to a path forward on his attempts to cut down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs — and the possibility of regime change.
What Maduro is saying: In remarks at a Caracas rally yesterday, Maduro accused the US of pursuing a “criminal war” and decried recently announced US military drills in Trinidad and Tobago as “irresponsible.”
On Friday, Maduro warned that US military intervention could lay the groundwork for what he described as “another Gaza,” a “new Afghanistan” or “Vietnam again.”
Venezuelan President Maduro warns US against military intervention
In recent weeks, the US has amassed its naval forces in the Caribbean as the Trump administration has launched at least 20 strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in turn, has said Caracas is launching a “massive mobilization” of military personnel, weapons and equipment.
The political stakes: Extended US military involvement runs the risk of upsetting the political coalition that propelled Trump into office on promises of keeping America out of overseas wars. Both Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth served in the military during the Iraq War and have since expressed skepticism about entangling the US in foreign conflicts.
“The American people did not vote for Trump to draw the US into a sustained conflict in Latin America,” one GOP congressional staffer told CNN.
Catch up more on this topic here.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Jim Sciutto, Mary Triny Mena, Stefano Pozzebon, Isa Cardona and Mitchell McCluskey contributed to this report.
