Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday accused the United States of attempting to change the regime in his country, denouncing a US naval buildup in the Caribbean as a direct threat to his government.“They are seeking a regime change through military threat,” Maduro told journalists, officials, and senior military officers in Caracas. “Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years. A situation like this has never been seen.”Trump ordered the military deployment as part of a broader strategy to disrupt drug trafficking networks in the region. While Washington has framed the buildup as an anti-cartel initiative, Maduro’s government views it as an interventionist manoeuvre aimed at toppling him from power.Maduro said Venezuela would not bow to pressure, declaring the nation “super-prepared” to face any escalation.The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of engaging in drug trafficking, even offering a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the deployment during an August 19 news conference, citing the need to curb cartel activity. “These cartels have engaged in historic violence and terror throughout our hemisphere… while also flooding the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” Parnell said. He stressed that the operation was part of a “whole-of-government effort” in coordination with regional partners.Parnell declined to speculate on future operations, but said the department of defence would play a central role in executing Trump’s objective to “eliminate the ability of these cartels to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States and its people.”
