In a move that has reignited fierce debate over U.S. foreign policy and the boundaries of covert action, President Donald Trump has publicly confirmed authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to engage in clandestine anti-government operations inside Venezuela. The announcement, made on October 16, 2025, comes amid a dramatic escalation of American efforts to curb drug trafficking and what the administration calls “narco-terrorism” linked to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
According to NBC News, Trump’s revelation was part of a broader media push to highlight his administration’s crackdown on Venezuela-based drug cartels. The president’s comments capped off weeks of mounting military activity in the southern Caribbean, including a series of U.S. strikes on boats Washington alleges were used to smuggle narcotics into the United States. The most recent of these, announced on October 14, reportedly killed six people off Venezuela’s coast—bringing the total death toll from five such strikes since early September to at least 27, according to AFP and Reuters.
“We are certainly looking at hitting land now, because we control the sea very well,” Trump told reporters at the White House, openly considering expanding the military campaign to targets within Venezuelan territory. He justified these actions on two grounds: persistent accusations that Maduro leads a “narco-terrorist regime” and claims that the Venezuelan leader has released prisoners to send them northward toward the U.S. border.
The president’s comments were bolstered by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who, in an interview with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” vowed that Trump would do “whatever it takes” to defend the United States from Venezuela-based “terrorist” drug gangs. “President Trump is going to do whatever it takes and use all the tools in the toolkit from the intelligence community, from the Department of War, and of course, diplomatically, to defend U.S. sovereignty against actions that are actively killing Americans,” Waltz declared. He added, “These are designated terrorist gangs.”
The Trump administration has described the recent maritime raids as a necessary response to decades of failed attempts by the U.S. Coast Guard to stem the flow of drugs into the country. The deployment of eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the southern Caribbean underscores the seriousness with which Washington is treating the threat. Still, the legality of conducting such raids—particularly in international waters and against suspects who have not been arrested or interrogated—remains hotly debated among legal scholars and international observers.
Venezuela’s reaction has been swift and unequivocal. President Nicolás Maduro, speaking at a press conference in Caracas on September 15 and again in a televised address following Trump’s admission, condemned the CIA’s covert actions across Latin America and accused Washington of reviving Cold War-era tactics. “No to war in the Caribbean region,” Maduro insisted, “no to regime change reminiscent of the failed endless wars in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq… no to the coups promoted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.” He urged Latin America to resist foreign interference and, in a direct plea to the American public, said in English, “Not war, yes peace… please.”
Maduro’s government has also raised the matter at the United Nations, accusing the U.S. of violating international law with its recent sea attacks. Ambassador Waltz, for his part, dismissed these complaints, pointing to Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows nations to defend themselves. “Venezuela can bring whatever they want to the UN,” Waltz said. “You know what’s also part of the UN, is Article 51 of the UN Charter that enables a country to defend itself, and that’s what President Trump’s doing. He’s going to do it.”
Meanwhile, the fallout from the strikes has extended beyond Venezuela’s borders. Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago are investigating whether two of their citizens were among those killed in the most recent U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat. A police official from Trinidad and Tobago told Agence France-Presse that security forces are looking into reports from residents of Las Cuevas village who claim two local men were aboard the vessel. For now, the identities of the deceased remain unconfirmed, but the incident has already caused unease in the region and prompted calls for greater transparency from Washington.
Despite the controversy, Trump has doubled down on his anti-drug campaign, openly considering airstrikes on Venezuelan territory. When asked whether he had authorized the CIA to “neutralize” Maduro, Trump was characteristically evasive: “That’s a ridiculous question. It’s not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be ridiculous if I answered it?” He stopped short of confirming reports by The New York Times that he had secretly ordered the CIA to conduct operations specifically targeting Maduro’s government, but his willingness to publicize CIA involvement marks a rare and provocative departure from traditional U.S. practice, where covert actions are typically denied or left unacknowledged.
The administration’s rhetoric has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates and foreign policy experts, some of whom warn that overt U.S. intervention risks destabilizing Latin America further and reviving the ghosts of past U.S.-backed coups and dictatorships. Maduro’s comparison to Cold War-era regime change operations is not without historical precedent, and his calls for Latin American unity against foreign “interference” have found a sympathetic audience among some regional leaders and civil society groups.
On the other hand, Trump’s supporters and several U.S. officials argue that decisive action is needed to disrupt the transnational drug networks that, they contend, are not only fueling addiction and violence in the United States but also propping up authoritarian regimes abroad. “The president is using every tool at his disposal,” said Waltz. “From intelligence to military force to diplomacy, we’re sending a message that the days of unchecked narco-terrorism on our doorstep are over.”
As tensions between Washington and Caracas continue to mount, the world is left to wonder whether Trump’s aggressive approach will achieve its stated aims—or whether it will plunge the region into a new era of conflict and instability. For now, both sides appear determined to stand their ground, with U.S. warships patrolling the Caribbean and Venezuelan forces conducting military drills to test their readiness for disaster or armed conflict.
With each new announcement, the stakes only seem to rise. Whether this latest episode marks a turning point in U.S.-Venezuelan relations, or simply another chapter in a long history of mutual suspicion and intervention, remains to be seen. One thing is certain: the world is watching, and the consequences—intended or otherwise—will be felt far beyond the shores of the Caribbean.