Proposed United States invasion of Venezuela

The possibility of a United States-led invasion of Venezuela was often talked about during the time when Donald Trump was president.

In 2017, during his first presidency, Trump said he would not completely rule out using military force to help with the growing crisis in Venezuela. Later, in 2025, during his second presidency, the United States surged military assets to the Caribbean as part of Operation Southern Spear. The official reason given was to fight against drug cartels, but some people thought it might mean more than that.

Then, in 2026, the United States began Operation Absolute Resolve. This involved airstrikes in Venezuela and the capture of the country's leader, President Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores. These events caused many people to wonder whether the United States might stay in Venezuela for a long time with soldiers on the ground.

First presidency of Donald Trump

During Donald Trump's first presidency, there were discussions about possibly using military force in Venezuela. In 2017, some of Trump's advisors suggested intervening, but others, including Rex Tillerson and H. R. McMaster, advised against it. Leaders from Latin American countries also did not support the idea.

Trump said publicly that he would not rule out a military option to help Venezuela during a difficult time. Even though some people thought about it, no plans for an invasion were made. The United States instead used sanctions and diplomatic pressure, hoping for free and fair elections in Venezuela.

Second presidency of Donald Trump

Further information: United States military buildup in the Caribbean during Operation Southern Spear, United States military strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear, and Operation Southern Spear

In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump chose Senator Marco Rubio to be the new U.S. Secretary of State. Rubio has often supported strong U.S. actions to help Venezuela during its difficult times. In 2025, the United States sent naval forces to the Caribbean, saying they were fighting drug cartels. President Maduro of Venezuela called for his people to join the Bolivarian Militia and said the country was ready for any possible attack.

On January 3, 2026, the United States carried out military strikes in Caracas and other areas of Venezuela. President Maduro and his wife were captured by U.S. forces. President Trump said the U.S. would help Venezuela until a new government could be established safely. He also talked about possibly sending ground troops, but he did not plan for a long stay. He hoped Venezuela’s oil industry would start working again soon.

Analysis

The Wall Street Journal reported that, by October 2025, there were not enough U.S. naval and air forces in the Caribbean to carry out an invasion of Venezuela. Military expert Mark Cancian said there were too few troops, by a factor of between 5 and 20. Professor Stephen Kinzer compared the idea of invading Venezuela to the actual United States invasion of Panama in 1989. He warned that such an operation would be much harder because Panama was a smaller country with a smaller military.

Shannon K. O'Neil from the Council on Foreign Relations said in 2018 that a military intervention in Venezuela would be a disaster. She believed the United States would need over 100,000 troops and would face many problems, including armed groups and damaged infrastructure. Al Jazeera reported on December 5, 2025, that almost all experts ruled out a ground invasion.

Machado

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado spoke about her views after receiving the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She said that Venezuela was already affected by foreign groups and illegal activities, and that these needed to stop.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on Machado’s leadership, and some advisors suggested that supporting her might cause more problems in Venezuela.