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As Trump’s standoff with Maduro deepens, experts warn the next move may force a showdown
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Absent direct military action, President Donald Trump is running low on options amid his standoff with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to experts.
Strikes near Venezuelan waters aimed at drug traffickers, sanctions and a $50 million bounty have so far been unsuccessful in forcing Maduro, whom the U.S. has designated as a leader of the Tren de Aragua drug cartel, to step down from power.
After repeated threats, adversaries may now view a lack of direct military action as a sign of weakness from the U.S. But Maduro is in an equally difficult position — his own military capabilities are dwarfed in comparison to Trump’s, and experts say China and Russia lack the will to directly challenge the U.S. in its own hemisphere.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking: Trump’s unprecedented military buildup in the Caribbean — including sending the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region — is taking away resources from other theaters.
WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME
Navy deploys USS Gerald R. Ford and robotic vessels for anti-drug mission in Latin America. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)
Katherine Thompson, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, said that there are very few tools left at Trump’s disposal to oust Maduro, aside from a targeted strike against the Venezuelan leader or a land invasion.
While the White House has not directly said that it is seeking regime change, recent media reports indicate that Trump and Maduro have spoken about the Venezuelan leader departing his post.
Thompson noted that previous efforts to squeeze out Maduro, including imposing sanctions on Venezuela and backing opposition leader Juan Guaidó during Trump’s first term, have proven unsuccessful.
«It does not seem like there is — outside of the military option — anything new on the table that hasn’t really been tried,» Thompson said.
Even so, Thompson cast doubt on whether military action would prove successful.
«If the offer on the table from the Trump administration is we’re going to potentially execute an invasion unless you talk to us, perhaps that’s a strong enough diplomatic, strategic move that gets Maduro to capitulate,» Thompson said. «But it just doesn’t seem like we’re picking up that many signals from the Maduro regime that that is going to be palatable.»
Meanwhile, Thompson said that adversaries like Russia and China are probably confused about why the Trump administration has fixated on the Maduro regime, which doesn’t jeopardize U.S. interests as much as other actors, when the Trump administration has adopted an «American First» mantra.
«I imagine for them, it’s probably a bit puzzling, if they’re looking at it through a real, brass tacks, realist lens, why this administration would be prioritizing ousting the Maduro regime, as opposed to conflicts in other theaters,» Thompson said.
U.S. strikes on drug boats near Venezuelan waters may be targeted at taking out Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social; Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
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As a result, the Trump administration’s actions focusing on Venezuela likely leave a bit of «befuddlement» on the part of Russia and China about how serious the U.S. is about putting American interests first, Thompson said.
She added that China may be wondering if the U.S. diverting resources, such as directing the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean, could provide an opportunity for it to invade Taiwan if the U.S. is tied up with operations in Venezuela. Multiple U.S. officials have said they believe China will be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.
Will Russia and China back Venezuela?
While there may be greater interest from China to take action within its own theater, experts agreed it was unlikely that Russia or China would actually get involved and back Venezuela should military operations between the U.S. and Caracas escalate — even though Moscow and Beijing are strategic allies with Venezuela.
Some analysts said Maduro would find himself largely isolated if Trump launched military strikes against Venezuela. Russia, still consumed by its war in Ukraine, is unlikely to offer anything beyond denunciations of U.S. action, and China, despite years of deep economic engagement with Caracas, is also expected to stop well short of military involvement, they said.
From Moscow’s perspective, there is both ideological and strategic discomfort with an American intervention — but little appetite or capability to counter it.
«Moscow opposes unilateral U.S. military intervention, especially when aimed at toppling a friendly authoritarian regime. That said, Russia lacks the will and ability to stop U.S. intervention in this part of the world should Trump decide to go that route,» said John Hardie, a Russian military analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
TRUMP GAVE MADURO ULTIMATUM TO FLEE VENEZUELA AS LAND OPERATIONS LOOM: REPORT
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Sept. 2, 2025. (China Daily via REUTERS)
Hardie said Russia is watching Washington’s internal debate carefully.
«Analysts in Moscow interpret the internal debate in Washington over Venezuela as evidence that although Republican views on foreign policy are shifting, the more traditional, hawkish camp still retains influence,» Hardie said. «This whole episode probably also reinforces Russian views of Trump as unpredictable and impulsive, though I suspect Moscow is glad to see Trump prioritizing the Western Hemisphere over other regions more central to Russian interests.»
China’s likely response would mirror its recent behavior in other conflicts. Beijing has major financial stakes in Venezuela but has shown little willingness to risk confrontation with the United States, especially in the Western Hemisphere.
Jack Burnham, a China analyst at FDD, said Maduro should take note of how China behaved during the 12-Day War, when Iran came under intense U.S.- and Israeli-led strikes.
«If Maduro is expecting support from China, he should have had his expectations corrected by Tehran’s recent experience under fire,» Burnham said. «Despite China providing key war-related materials to Iran prior to the 12 Day War, once the conflict escalated, Beijing stood down, content to stand on the sidelines and offer statements.»
Burnham said that same pattern would likely apply now: «If American military action accelerates, look for Beijing to engage in a war of words rather than send badly needed supplies to Caracas.»
Trump’s crusade against drugs
The Trump administration has beefed up its military presence off the coast of Venezuela and has adopted a hard-line approach to address the flow of drugs into the U.S. For example, it designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, but instead, a leader of a drug cartel. In August, the Trump administration upped the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, labeling him «one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.»
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a civic-military event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
On Sunday, Trump confirmed that he spoke to Maduro over the phone last week, after the New York Times reported that the two had talked, but declined to provide specifics on what they discussed. However, The Miami Herald reported on Sunday that Trump gave Maduro an ultimatum, guaranteeing the Venezuelan leader and his family safety — if he resigned immediately.
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The White House did not provide comment when asked if the Trump administration is pushing a regime change, and whether Maduro had been offered any incentives to step down. However, the officials said all options are on the table to mitigate the influx of drugs into the U.S.
«President Trump has been clear in his message to Maduro: stop sending drugs and criminals to our country,» White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. «The President is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding in to our country.»
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on The Miami Herald’s report.
Additionally, the New York Post reported on Tuesday that U.S. officials are discussing potentially sending Maduro to Qatar, although officials familiar with Qatar’s role in the negotiations said Maduro will not head there. It’s unclear where Maduro would flee to, and no countries have confirmed they will accept him.
Trump’s reported negotiation with Maduro comes as the strikes in the Caribbean are facing heightened scrutiny from the legal community and lawmakers.
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Venezuelan vessel destroyed during U.S. military strike off of Venezuela Sept. 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
While lawmakers have questioned the legality of the strikes since the beginning, the attacks have come under renewed scrutiny after the Washington Post reported on Friday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in a Sept. 2 operation. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat.
On Monday, the White House confirmed that a second strike had occurred, but disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions.
The White House also said Monday that Hegseth had authorized Adm. Frank «Mitch» Bradley to conduct the strikes, and that Bradley was the one who ordered and directed the second one.
At the time of the Sept. 2 strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. He is now the head of U.S. Special Operations Command.
According to Hegseth, carrying out a subsequent strike on the alleged drug boat was the right call.
«Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,» Hegseth said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a news conference at the Pentagon, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Altogether, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has enhanced its military presence in the Caribbean to align with Trump’s goal to crack down on drugs entering the U.S.
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The last confirmed strike occurred on Nov. 15. Hegseth said Tuesday that although there has been a pause in strikes in the Caribbean because alleged drug boats are becoming harder to find, the Trump administration’s crusade against drugs will continue.
«We’ve only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean because they’ve been poisoning the American people,» Hegseth said Tuesday.
white house,pentagon,donald trump,venezuelan political crisis,defense
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El dilema de Donald Trump: ¿Se justifican 200.000 millones de dólares para una guerra sin fin con Irán y una posible invasión terrestre?
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A trio of progressive Democrats backed by members of «The Squad» suffered blistering rebukes on Tuesday as Illinois voters rejected them in favor of more moderate candidates, prompting questions from onlookers about whether the party’s core, and momentum, should be entrusted to the far-left wing of its base.
To James Carville, a longtime Democratic strategist, the answer has been «no» for a long time. Talking to Fox News Digital in response to several progressive candidates losing in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in deep blue Illinois, he questioned the narrative that Squad-aligned progressives are gaining momentum.
«What momentum? About 15% of the Democratic Party identifies themselves as progressive. And what’s unique, they win about 15% in the primaries at most,» Carville said. «This was something I’ve dealt with all my life.»
«In New York, [Zohran] Mamdami got 50.5% — which is not overwhelming. That’s hardly the basis for some national movement,» Carville said, referring to the socialist mayor of New York City.
AIPAC-BACKED CHICAGO DEMOCRAT LOSES PRIMARY DESPITE OUTSIDE SPENDING BLITZ
Progressive candidates in the Illinois primary were largely unsuccessful against more moderate candidates. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
The progressive losses all came despite high-profile support from some of the most progressive figures in Congress.
Kat Abughazaleh, the 26-year-old Palestinian American running on an anti-establishment platform and promises to implement a «wealth tax,» attracted support from the likes of Rep. Rashida Talib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, but lost on Tuesday.
Defeated technology entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed told voters he would push for the self-determination of Gaza and implement healthcare for all, earning the support of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
And Robert Peters, a state senator who raised $1.1 million on his track record of helping to end cash bail and raising the minimum wage at the state level, garnered backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt, and Warren, but lost his bid for Congress to Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller.
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Between them, they raised $5.7 million.
Anthony Driver Jr., widely regarded as a progressive candidate in Illinois’ 7th District Democratic primary, lost to the more moderate, establishment-aligned Democrat, La Shawn Ford.
Driver was endorsed by Jayapal and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Liam Kerr, co-founder of the Welcome PAC, a group that supports moderate Democrats, believes their losses should give the party a clear takeaway.
«Illinois is just the latest reminder that the noise machine around far-left candidates rarely translates into actual votes,» Kerr said.
«There’s a real hunger in this party to win, and the candidates who keep losing are the ones more focused on ideological performance than tried and true economic concerns. The blueprint is simple: ditch the clout-chasing ideologues and invest in hard-working candidates who know their communities.»
Kerr’s framing was echoed by Jim Kessler, vice president of policy at Third Way, a Democrat think tank focused on moderate platforms.
«Illinois delivered a cold shower to the progressive fringe in the Democratic Party. Every winner was a mainstream Democrat. A lesson Democrats always have to relearn is that mainstream beats extreme,» Kessler said.
But to other onlookers, the results aren’t so definitive. Even as figures like Carville argue far-left policies aren’t a recipe for national success, others see the Illinois losses as far less decisive for progressives than critics suggest.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, center, speaks in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Michael Ceraso, a veteran of the 2016 Sanders presidential campaign, pointed out that some of Tuesday’s winners can’t be swept neatly into the «moderate» camp. He doesn’t believe progressives really even lost the night at all.
«Daniel Biss is a progressive. The dude pushed climate and building regulations in Evanston,» Ceraso said, referring to the winner for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District — the candidate that beat out Abughazaleh.
Ceraso also noted that several candidates backed by Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker won out.
«The Illinois governor is a progressive. He backed [Juliana] Stratton,» Ceraso said, referring to the lieutenant governor and Senate candidate who won the Democratic nomination in a high-profile, competitive, contentious, and expensive primary showdown.
«[They] increased the minimum wage, ended the sub-minimum wage for disabled people and protected reproductive care. That’s what progress means: moving toward a goal that lifts others, not protecting the status quo.»
Still, other voices, like that of Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, noted that outside groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) had focused their attention on defeating the most progressive voices in the election.
«The real debate inside the Democratic Party is not whether progressive economic policies appeal to voters,» Green argued.
«It is whether candidates who genuinely believe in those ideas can compete against industries willing to spend millions to co-opt that message in support of candidates who will never actually challenge power,» Green said.
Having now cleared the primaries, Illinois will hold its general elections on Nov. 3.
politics,midterm elections,illinois
INTERNACIONAL
Qué leer gratis: cómo vivir sin ansiedad, los “desamores breves” y el pionero argentino de la ciencia ficción
Algunos creen que no hay salida, que desde que apareció el celular ya no se puede sacar la cara de la pantalla. Una salida posible es el libro: tirarse a leer a la sombra de sauce una buena historia atrapante. Pero quizás el problema no sea el soporte sino el contenido. ¿Y si en vez de estar scrolleando eternamente en las redes sociales nos sentamos a leer, en el mismo celular, un buen cuento, una novela, un ensayo, algo que nos lleve de paseo por otra vida, otro mundo, otra sensibilidad?
A continuación, tres libros que se pueden leer gratis en Bajalibros.
Las fuerzas extrañas, de Leopoldo Lugones
Las fuerzas extrañas, de Leopoldo Lugones, publicado en 1906, es un libro fundamental porque marca el nacimiento de la ciencia ficción y la fantasía en la literatura argentina. Aunque en su momento fue poco comprendido y no tuvo éxito comercial, la colección de cuentos imaginó experimentos y avances científicos que, décadas después, la propia ciencia acabaría confirmando. Lugones explora el conocimiento humano y la curiosidad científica en relatos que mezclan el asombro, la tragedia y el humor, anticipando temas que hoy atraviesan el género.
La importancia del libro reside en su capacidad para mostrar cómo la literatura puede ser un laboratorio de ideas y una puerta a futuros posibles. Cada cuento de Las fuerzas extrañas se convierte en una reflexión sobre los límites de la ciencia, la ética y la imaginación, invitando al lector a cuestionar la realidad y a considerar el impacto del progreso sobre la condición humana. Obras como “La fuerza omega”, “La metamúsica” o “Yzur” se adelantaron a debates contemporáneos sobre inteligencia artificial, la relación con los animales y los riesgos del conocimiento sin control.
Para un lector actual, Las fuerzas extrañas no es solo una curiosidad histórica: es una obra que sigue vigente porque plantea preguntas esenciales sobre el sentido del avance científico y el papel de la ficción como herramienta para pensar el presente y el futuro. Leer a Lugones hoy es reconocer la potencia de la literatura para anticipar y provocar cambios en la forma en que comprendemos el mundo.
(Des)Amores breves de Carolina Balbiani
Carolina Balbiani es periodista de Infobae. Los lectores la conocen. Escribe historias de amor y muerte con una intensidad impactante. Publicó varios libros. Uno de ellos se titula (Des)Amores breves, cuentos en el que hace foco en los efectos que el amor desbordante provoca en ciertas personas que no están preparadas para romper la vida cotidiana. Cuando el encanto de la pasión se vuelve un hechizo maldito.
“Son historias que nacen de historias que escuché y todas terminaban mal. Los finales felices son un poco bobos, me parece. Es un prejuicio mío, es totalmente arbitrario. Pero cuando me protestan por los finales, yo digo que si el día es lindo y está todo bien, no hay historia. Hay una idealización del amor fogoso, pero después decanta la vida. Y la vida es mucho más que la pasión. Intenté poner esas cosas que uno piensa y no dice. Como cuando hay gente que piensa que mejor no hubiera tenido un embarazo, o un romance, o una historia, pero no lo dice porque es políticamente incorrecto. Me gusta que el personaje pueda expresarse”, dijo la autora en una entrevista para Infobae con Patricia Zunini.
60 maneras de vivir sin ansiedad
En tiempos de mucho celular y la imposibilidad de una pausa reflexiva, viene muy bien la lectura. La lectura en general. Pero en particular, un libro: 60 maneras de vivir sin ansiedad. Técnicas sencillas, explicaciones dinámicas y buenas ideas para replantearse la vida cotidiana son algunas de las propuestas de este texto que se puede leer como una especie de guía para el bienestar personal.
Cómo dejar de ser perfeccionista cómo mejorar la organización cotidiana para ganar en armonía y bienestar o de qué manera alejar los pensamientos negativos y reducir la velocidad vertiginosa a la que vivimos figuran entre los temas centrales que ofrecemos aquí. Además los lectores encontrarán técnicas saludables para aliviar las tensiones del cuerpo y de la mente. Meditación, tai chi chuan, recetas naturales, relajación, masajes y mucho más.
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