US President Trump has expressed different opinions regarding Maduro in the past. He denied, for example, that he was planning military attacks on Venezuela. At the same time, he said Maduro’s days are numbered. In mid-October, Trump also said that he had “authorized” CIA operations in Venezuela.
According to several media reports, various options are being discussed in Washington as to how the USA could proceed in Venezuela. Last week, the New York Times reported that several proposals had been made to Trump to overthrow Maduro’s government. Among other things, it is said that it was suggested to the president that special forces could kill Maduro.
US news channel CBS reported on Wednesday that the president had been presented with a new list of options. This should also include a military attack on Venezuelan soil. However, the report does not indicate whether a targeted killing of Maduro will continue to be discussed. It is also said that the US President has not yet decided how to proceed in Venezuela.
James Story, who served as U.S. ambassador to Venezuela during Trump’s first term, says the military resources deployed are “far too destructive” to be used solely to combat drugs. The only assumption that can be made is that “some kind of action against the Maduro regime is possible,” he told NPR.
It is also suspected that the USA is targeting the South American country’s oil reserves. Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world. According to the New York Times, the leadership in Caracas is said to have offered the US government to allow US companies to participate in future oil or gold production. But the Trump administration is said to have rejected the offers so far.
Within the USA, Trump’s course is viewed critically. According to a recent poll by Reuters and Ipsos, only 35 percent of Americans support using the military to stop drug trafficking. Furthermore, only 29 percent were in favor of specific attacks on suspected drug boats without a legal basis.
Especially among Republican voters, more people supported Trump’s course: Among his party’s voters, 58 percent support the attacks on the boats, while 27 percent of those surveyed reject them.
