Trump Confirms CIA Authorization for Covert Operations in Venezuela, Sparking Global Backlash
In a controversial move that has reignited tensions between Washington and Caracas, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed reports that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, a country already facing years of political and economic turmoil. The admission has provoked fierce condemnation from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who warned against what he described as “CIA-orchestrated coups.”
The announcement comes amid an escalating U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, where American forces have conducted at least five strikes on vessels allegedly carrying narcotics. According to UN-appointed human rights experts, these operations have resulted in 27 deaths, which they labeled “extrajudicial executions.”
Trump Admits CIA Authorization Amid Escalating Tensions
Speaking from the White House, President Trump said the U.S. “is looking at land” as part of its broader strategy to target drug cartels in the region. When asked directly whether he had authorized the CIA’s involvement in Venezuela, Trump confirmed, “I authorized for two reasons really. Number one, they [Venezuela] have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. And number two, drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming from Venezuela.”
The president added that while the U.S. military has targeted maritime routes, further operations on land may be under consideration. His remarks mark one of the rare public acknowledgments of CIA activity by a sitting U.S. president—an agency traditionally shielded by secrecy.
The New York Times reported that Trump’s authorization allows the CIA to operate independently in Venezuela, either unilaterally or alongside U.S. military forces. However, it remains unclear whether any covert operations have been initiated or are being held as contingency plans.
Maduro Responds: “No War, Yes Peace”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose leadership remains disputed internationally following contested elections, made a televised appeal for peace. Addressing “the people of the United States,” Maduro urged, “No war, yes peace.”
Maduro also criticized the U.S. for its “imperialist aggression,” comparing the situation to past interventions in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan. “No to regime change, no to CIA-orchestrated coups d’état,” he said. “Listen to me—the people of the United States—no war, yes peace.”
His comments followed the latest U.S. strike on a suspected drug vessel near Venezuela’s coast on Tuesday, which killed six people. Trump later claimed on Truth Social that intelligence confirmed the boat was “trafficking narcotics” and linked to “illicit narco-terrorist networks.”
Still, U.S. officials have declined to disclose the identities of those killed or the specific drug-trafficking organizations involved.
Venezuela Mobilizes in Response
In reaction to Trump’s remarks and the ongoing strikes, Maduro ordered large-scale military exercises in the Caracas suburb of Petare and nearby Miranda state. “We are mobilizing our armed forces, police, and civilian militias to defend the homeland,” he announced via Telegram.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil also condemned Washington’s actions, saying the country “rejects the warmongering and extravagant statements of the President of the United States.” He warned that the use of the CIA and the growing military buildup in the Caribbean represented a “policy of aggression, threat, and harassment” against Venezuela.
Reports indicate that the U.S. currently has around 10,000 troops stationed in the Caribbean, including those on naval ships and in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. Among the deployed assets are eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and fighter jets—an unusually strong show of force in the region.
The Drug War Narrative and Political Motives
Despite Trump’s justification that the operations are part of an anti-drug campaign, Venezuela’s role in regional drug trafficking is relatively minor compared to other Latin American nations. Critics argue that the focus on Venezuela may have more to do with political motives than drug interdiction.
U.S. officials have long accused Maduro of involvement in the “Cartel of the Suns”, a network allegedly composed of high-ranking Venezuelan military and security officials implicated in drug smuggling. The U.S. has even offered a $50 million bounty for Maduro’s capture, though he continues to deny the allegations.
Earlier this year, a leaked memo from the Trump administration to Congress described the U.S. as being in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug-trafficking organizations, a legal framing that experts say allows for expanded military and intelligence operations abroad.
Inside the CIA’s Role and Legal Implications
According to former CIA paramilitary officer and Pentagon official Mick Mulroy, any covert action by the agency must be backed by a presidential finding—a formal document authorizing specific secret operations. “In order to conduct covert action, there needs to be a presidential finding for the CIA specially authorizing it,” Mulroy told the BBC.
He added that such authorization would represent a “substantial escalation” in America’s efforts against drug cartels. “Perhaps a real-life Sicario,” he said, referencing the 2015 film that depicts U.S. covert missions targeting Mexican cartels.
Experts caution, however, that expanding covert operations risks deepening instability in Venezuela, a country already crippled by hyperinflation, food shortages, and years of political unrest.
A Return to Cold War-Style Tactics
For many analysts, the CIA’s potential re-entry into Latin American operations feels like a return to Cold War-era tactics, when U.S.-backed covert interventions sought to topple leftist governments across the region.
Washington’s growing pressure campaign has only fueled anti-American sentiment in Caracas. “In a country where military and civilian worlds are already divided, this will not help bridge any gaps,” said one veteran reporter familiar with U.S.-Venezuela relations.
While Trump insists that the mission’s purpose is to stop the flow of drugs, observers warn that the political costs of such interventions could be steep. For Maduro, the situation offers a familiar narrative of resistance against imperialism—one he has used repeatedly to consolidate domestic support amid ongoing economic collapse.
As tensions mount, both nations appear locked in a dangerous standoff. With military buildups on both sides and the CIA now reportedly cleared for covert operations, the risk of escalation looms large over a region that has seen its share of proxy wars and power struggles before.