In a fiery address that echoed through the bustling Plaza Bicentenario in Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro unleashed a scathing indictment of the United States on Thursday, accusing it of masterminding a brazen regime change plot under the guise of anti-drug operations. Speaking to thousands of supporters gathered for the closing ceremony of the National Congress of Chefs and Chefs of the Homeland – an event blending culinary pride with revolutionary fervor – Maduro declared that U.S. President Donald Trump had personally greenlit the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to unleash covert mayhem in Venezuela. "The CIA has been sent to Venezuela for regime change," Maduro thundered, his voice amplified over the crowd's chants. "Since its creation, no U.S. government has so openly ordered this agency to kill, overthrow, or destroy other countries."
The remarks, delivered under a sweltering afternoon sun amid banners touting "Sovereignty and Flavor," marked the latest escalation in a tense standoff that has gripped the Western Hemisphere. Maduro, whose grip on power has been contested since a disputed 2024 election, framed the alleged U.S. machinations as part of a 26-year conspiracy dating back to the agency's shadowy interventions in Latin America. He invoked historical specters, claiming "all coups in Latin America" – from Chile's 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende to Argentina's 1976 military junta – bore the CIA's fingerprints. "For the first time in our history, a U.S. administration openly declares its intent to attack another country," Maduro asserted. "They aim to scare, divide, and demoralize our people through psychological warfare. But our nation remains united and determined."
The Venezuelan leader's rhetoric resonated deeply in a country scarred by years of economic collapse, hyperinflation, and mass exodus – over 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled since 2014, according to United Nations estimates. Yet Maduro projected defiance, boasting that 6.2 million citizens now form the backbone of the National Integrated Defense System, a civilian-military network primed to thwart any invasion. "To the conspirators, imperialists, and their media outlets, I have bad news: the political and military leadership of the revolution has never been more united to defend our homeland," he proclaimed, eliciting roars from the audience, many clad in red "Chavista" berets. He further lambasted Washington's "interventionist policies," quipping that "if Venezuela did not possess oil, gas, gold, fertile land, and water, the imperialists wouldn’t even look at our country."
Maduro's outburst came mere days after Trump's own candid admission during a White House event on Wednesday, where the U.S. president confirmed authorizing the CIA for operations in Venezuela as part of an aggressive anti-narcotics push. "I authorized for two reasons, really," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. And the other thing, the drugs – we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea." The remarks, unusually frank for covert actions typically shrouded in secrecy, align with a classified directive first reported by The New York Times, which described the authorization as enabling lethal operations against "narco-political threats."
This revelation has ignited a firestorm across the political spectrum. U.S. critics, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), decried the move as reckless. "The Trump administration's authorization of covert CIA action, conducting lethal strikes on boats and hinting at land operations in Venezuela, slides the United States closer to outright conflict with no transparency, oversight, or apparent guardrails," Shaheen warned in a statement. Even some Republicans, like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) – a vocal Maduro critic – have urged caution, emphasizing that the focus should remain on "serious threats to our national security posed by drug trafficking" rather than overt regime toppling. Legal experts, such as constitutional scholar Bruce Fein, have labeled the strikes "unconstitutional," arguing they bypass congressional approval required for military action beyond self-defense.
The backdrop to this drama is a U.S. naval armada that has transformed the southern Caribbean into a militarized chessboard. Since late August, Washington has surged assets including guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson; amphibious assault ships like USS Iwo Jima and USS San Antonio; a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine (USS Newport News); and over 4,500 personnel, including 2,200 Marines. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Trump loyalist and Fox News alum, has been the operation's vocal architect. In a recent Fox interview, Hegseth declared U.S. forces "prepared for operations in Venezuela, including regime change," while justifying strikes as targeting "narco-terrorists" affiliated with groups like Tren de Aragua, now designated foreign terrorist organizations.
At least six such strikes have occurred since September, with U.S. forces using Hellfire missiles from drones or helicopters to sink vessels accused of ferrying narcotics. The toll: 27 dead, including six in the latest attack on October 14. Hegseth posted triumphantly on X: "These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!" Yet evidence remains thin; officials have not disclosed nationalities of the deceased or specifics on cargo, prompting accusations of "acts of aggression" from Caracas and the international community.
In retaliation, Maduro has mobilized 4.5 million militia members – swelling to over 8 million with recent enlistments – in "Operation Sovereign Shield," fortifying coasts with warships, drones, and patrols. Venezuelan F-16s buzzed the USS Jason Dunham on September 4, a move the Pentagon branded "highly provocative," prompting F-35 deployments to Puerto Rico. Diplomatic fallout has been swift: Caracas severed ties with Washington, shuttered its U.S. embassy, and appealed to the UN and Non-Aligned Movement for condemnation.
The crisis traces roots to Venezuela's implosion under Maduro, successor to Hugo Chávez. A socialist firebrand who nationalized oil in 2007, Chávez's death in 2013 left a $300 billion economy in tatters: GDP shrank 75% by 2020, inflation hit 1.7 million percent in 2018, and sanctions – intensified under Trump 1.0 and Biden – exacerbated shortages. The U.S. bounty on Maduro, now $50 million for drug charges, underscores accusations that his regime – dubbed a "narco-state" – facilitates cocaine and fentanyl precursors via the "Cartel of the Suns." DEA reports confirm Venezuela as a key transit hub, though most fentanyl originates in China and Mexico.
Opposition firebrand María Corina Machado, fresh off a 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent push for fair elections, has fueled the divide. Barred from the 2024 race, her proxy Edmundo González claimed victory with 67% of votes per leaked tallies, but Maduro's electoral council certified his 51% win amid fraud allegations. Machado, meeting U.S. senators this week, urged intensified pressure, even floating oil concessions for intervention – a proposal echoing colonial-era "resource grabs."
Global powers are watching warily. Russia and China, key Maduro backers supplying arms and loans, condemned the U.S. as "neo-colonial aggressors," with Moscow warning of "geopolitical chain reactions." Iran, too, voiced solidarity, while Colombia's President Gustavo Petro – a leftist – expressed fears of "missiles falling" over his border. In Europe, the EU has imposed sanctions but called for dialogue, citing parallels to failed U.S. interventions in Iraq and Libya.
From Bogotá, where Venezuelan refugees strain resources, analysts like Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue warn of blowback. "This isn't just about drugs; it's a high-stakes bet on Maduro's ouster," Shifter said. "But history shows regime change sows chaos – look at Iraq's ISIS vacuum or Libya's warlords." In Istanbul, Turkish officials, balancing ties with both Washington and Caracas, urged UN mediation to avert a "Caribbean quagmire."
Economically, the stakes are astronomical. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves – 303 billion barrels – plus vast gold and mineral deposits. Nationalized under Chávez, PDVSA once pumped 3 million barrels daily; now, it's a shadow at 700,000 amid sanctions and decay. A post-Maduro pivot could flood markets, crashing prices and benefiting U.S. shale but devastating OPEC allies.
As tensions mount, regional leaders convened an emergency summit in Bogotá on Friday, where Colombian President Petro proposed a "Caribbean Neutrality Zone" to de-escalate naval posturing. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a Maduro ally, pledged $2 billion in humanitarian aid but stopped short of military support, citing Brazil's constitutional limits on foreign wars. Meanwhile, in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson scheduled a classified briefing for next week, amid whispers of a bipartisan resolution demanding CIA oversight.
On the ground in Caracas, the mood is electric yet anxious. Supermarkets, long plagued by shortages, now stockpile rice and flour under militia guard. Schoolchildren drill air-raid procedures, while state TV broadcasts 24/7 documentaries on CIA atrocities. In Maracaibo's oil fields, workers – earning $3 monthly – whisper of sabotage fears, yet loyalty runs deep: polls show 58% of Venezuelans back Maduro's defiance, per a Datanálisis survey.
Across the border in Cúcuta, Colombia, 1.2 million Venezuelan migrants huddle in tent cities, torn between hope for change and dread of war spilling over. "If bombs fall, we'll all pay," said Maria Gonzalez, a nurse who fled hyperinflation. U.S. aid groups report a 40% spike in border crossings since the strikes began, straining Bogotá's $1.5 billion annual refugee budget.
In Istanbul, where Venezuela's ambassador lobbies Turkish firms for drone tech, officials eye opportunities: Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones, battle-tested in Ukraine, could bolster Maduro's air defenses for $20 million a pop. Yet Ankara treads carefully, its $15 billion trade with the U.S. at risk.
Back in Plaza Bicentenario, as night fell, Maduro ended with a plea for peace: "Not war, peace." Yet with CIA shadows lengthening and naval guns trained, the hemisphere braces. Trump's "America First" collides with Maduro's Bolivarian defiance, risking a spark that could engulf Latin America. For now, the chefs' congress – symbolizing everyday resilience – stands as a microcosm: nourishing a revolution amid siege. Whether this boils over into full confrontation or simmers via backchannels remains the $50 million question – quite literally, for the bounty on Maduro's head.
