The public sentiment is predominantly negative towards the U.S. military actions and potential intervention in Venezuela, characterized by deep skepticism regarding the underlying motives, which many see as driven by oil interests rather than genuine concerns for democracy or humanitarian issues. Comments reflect a strong disapproval of military intervention, with calls for peace and a focus on domestic problems, particularly linking the intervention to political distractions from issues like the Epstein files. Many fear that such military actions will lead to unnecessary violence and loss of innocent lives.

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Has anyone recognized that the drugs reported coming out of Venezuela are reported by the feds to be fentanyl, and the drugs understood and widely confirmed to be coming out of Venezuela are mostly cocaine via Colombia?

Please go look at American/Venezuelan oil interests and issues, and add those issues into your pov.

The boats being targeted frankly have too many people on them, (drug boats see 6 people as 600 pounds too much person and not enough cocaine-they put two people on a boat with more blow)... and so far, zero evidence that they're carrying drugs outside of the department of war, and Donald Trump telling us they're drug boats.

R1tonka

Ignoring everything else concerning the quality of this person leading Venezuela. 


Why is Trump fixated on attacking Venezuela/why should Americans care?


Like what's the point of this war? why is it happening?

BeforeAndAfterMeme

More “America First” and more “peace” being practiced by Scrooge McTrump 😒🙄

Jerry_bear88

So we're going to war in:

Mexico

Venezuela

Nigeria

Gaza

Canada

Greenland

... how many fronts does Trump think he can reasonably manage while still attacking US cities?

ayers231

So does the US military slaughter tens of thousands Venezuelans or Nigerians first? Or do the US invade two countries at the same time like a blood soaked three-way?

Formal-Low6888

Tinpot Trump is rattling his sabers again.

RemarkableAd7543

But they're not going to war. 

What was the line Putin told him to use? 

Special Military Operation

thesweeterpeter

Whatever happened to getting permission from Congress to declare war?

invalidpassword

He's gonna keep blowing up boats until he gets that Nobel

jabo19

Destabilizing Iraq and getting Saddam Hussein was such a positive thing for the region. What could possibly go wrong guys ?

india2wallst

I did not have Military Regime Change in Venezuela on my bingo card.

thorvarhund

So when Putin’s submarines surface off the coast, in response to the recent request for assistance from Maduro, then what.

LivingIntelligent968

elammcknight

Ooo, I’ve seen this one! Is this the one where America thinks it can just bomb a country from a distance and win a ‘war’ purely through bombing? Or maybe it’s the one where they do actually commit ground troops and get bogged down fighting everyone by reclassifying all civilians with a heart beat as ‘enemy combatants’? Or maybe it’s the one where they simply aren’t ready for fighting guerilla warfare and end up with tens of thousands wounded and maimed soldiers going back to shoot up adults at home rather than just the kids they kill regularly in schools?

So many hits to choose from!

H_pitts

Because America has such a great record of regime change by military or CIA involvement.

mack_the_tanker

Maybe the Trumps are trying to take over the cocaine trade.

30mil

conceptsinfromage

If Trump invades, it is very likely that many soldiers' families will never see their loved ones again, not even dead, because in the jungle, recovering bodies can be very difficult... but Trump wants to be emperor, so what can we do?

Celio_leal

Battle of the Dictators! How, exactly, is screwing around with foreign countries like this "America First"?

YogiBearsPicnic

belisario262

IOW, a whole bunch of poor kids are going to die for a handful of rich parasites. 

Major General Smedley Butler,  War is a Racket, 1935

&gt;“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism." 

Same song, different generation.

fugwb

USA gonna get their ass kicked….. again…. As usual… just like every other time in my lifetime…. Because our military equipment is from the 1990s and is designed to be as expensive as possible as to overcharge as much tax dollars as humanly possible…. The equipment is not designed to actually win 

.


Fucking save me lord! This is so damn embarrassing … maybe we should instead spend that money on infrastructure healthcare and education ; just like every single fastest growing country on planet earth is doing

.

Reminder…. A 13 billion dollar aircraft carrier and all its protective ships lost to the fucking Houthis…. The USA cannot even beat the Houthis… our miiitary … is fucking terrible and our hubris will lose more American lives in for bullshit terrible reasons

-Mediocrates-

This is so sad. We're attacking countries with dictators and oppressed people that desperately don't want to fight (as admitted by even trump). I really hope this is all posturing and doesn't lead to anything, but it's doubtful, as I don't think the US has anything to gain from posturing in this situation...

HelpM3Sl33p

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If they’re successful in renoving maduro, they’re going to run 24/7 coverage of Venezuelan prisons as evidence of ‘Evil dictator who imprisoned his peoples’ to justify their aggression and to manufacture more consent for further involvement in Venezuala

ButttMunchyyy

Who wants a "no vuvuzela ever called me a 🚬" sign?

ShitbirdGT

I don't recall voting for this or even being asked

robotzor

Imperialists are going to imperialism.


This is of absolutely no surprise to anyone.

Nightshiftcloak

Here's my prediction. Venezuela will bear every humiliation (short of invasion) without retaliating. They have defensive missiles which can take down incoming objects, but they are not going to go as far as shoot at the American warships themselves.

Watching the whole internet shilling for \*Graham Platner\*, including the DSA, Maduro should know that the whole spectrum of the American public will defend its Wehrmacht soldiers.

WritingtheWrite

There are claims Venezuela is getting some pretty good equipment from the Russians. My money is on Yemen part two: dropping planes off an aircraft carrier electric boogaloo. 

Vamos Los Jutís!!! 

TruckHangingHandJam

If the “peace president” invades Venezuela I’ll be so upset. Staying out of foreign entanglements netted trump a lot of votes, just for him to spin around and pull this. What a coward.

REsTARteD_Ragdoll

# U.S. sends three warships toward the coast of Venezuela, Maduro mobilises 4.5 million militia members

Three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers are [set](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-deploys-warships-near-venezuela-combat-drug-threats-sources-say-2025-08-18/) to arrive off Venezuela’s coasts within 24 hours, part of the Trump administration’s effort to counter threats from Latin American drug cartels. 

As [per](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-deploys-warships-near-venezuela-combat-drug-threats-sources-say-2025-08-18/) Reuters, the deployed American ships are the USS Graverly, USS John Dunham, and the USS Sampson. 

The U.S. military had also previously announced on August 22 that air and naval forces would be deployed to the Caribbean, with more than 4,000 sailors and marines, as the Trump administration shows increasing willingness to use military force to combat drug trafficking in Latin America.

**_Read more:_** [_US deploys forces to the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking_](https://latinamericareports.com/us-deploys-forces-to-the-caribbean-to-combat-drug-trafficking/12101/)   
  
These military assets are to operate in international waters and international airspace across several months.

## **Maduro’s Response**

The mobilisation of U.S. military assets follows Washington’s recent decision to increase the bounty for Maduro’s capture, [doubling](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy1wn1x521o) it to an unprecedented [$50 million USD](https://www.state.gov/nicolas-maduro-moros). Last week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the seizure of assets worth  [$700 million USD](https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-08-14/us-claims-it-has-seized-700-million-of-nicolas-maduros-assets.html) from the Venezuelan head of state. 

In an official statement published on Tuesday, the Venezuelan government [said](https://x.com/teleSURtv/status/1957885907823915435): “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela observes with total clarity the desperation of the United States administration, which resorts to threats and defamation against our country. Washington’s accusation that Venezuela is involved in drug trafficking reveals their lack of credibility and the failure of its policies in the region.”

In response to the increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, President Maduro [announced](https://youtube.com/shorts/56fufVQEgeA?si=_yaPiNmXg1dVRP0b) a plan to mobilise 4.5 million militia members across the country.

This would be a part of a “plan of peace” with militias that would be “prepared, active and armed,” the leader said on [live television](https://youtube.com/shorts/56fufVQEgeA?si=UWzsUGkxyjB8bPpa). Maduro then further urged his political base to mobilise into rural and industrial militias. 

“Rifles and missiles for the rural forces! To defend Venezuela’s territory, sovereignty and peace,” he [claimed](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article311757224.html).

Speaking to allies at a political event on Monday evening, Maduro [affirmed](https://avn.info.ve/presidente-maduro-afirmo-que-ningun-imperio-tocara-suelo-sagrado-de-venezuela/) to defend sovereignty: “Our seas, our skies and our lands are defended by us, liberated by us, guarded and patrolled by us. No empire will come to touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America, no empire in the world.” He did not mention the U.S. ship deployments. 

The leader did, however, [question](https://avn.info.ve/presidente-maduro-afirmo-que-ningun-imperio-tocara-suelo-sagrado-de-venezuela/) the presence of U.S. military bases in Colombia, which he qualified as a humiliation to the history of independence in the region. 

There are approximately [76](https://cemeri.org/en/mapas/m-bases-militares-eeuu-americalatina-cu) U.S. military bases in Latin America. But, according to the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. “provides security assistance to Colombia” to promote the country’s stability and security. 

In 2024, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) [signed](https://www.wola.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Letter-Isla-Gorgona-3.pdf) a letter urging the governments of Colombia and the U.S. to stop a proposed military project on Gorgona Island, located in the Colombian Pacific; there are no active U.S. military bases in Colombia. 

On Tuesday, the Maduro regime [prohibited](https://efectococuyo.com/politica/gobierno-de-maduro-prohibe-por-un-mes-actividades-con-drones-y-otras-aeronaves-no-tripuladas/) the flight of drones through Venezuelan territory for 30 days. 

narfus

Se jodieron los marines , eso milicianos son arrechos ...,,🤫

alfram75

Marranyo

“Rifles and missiles for the rural forces! To defend Venezuela’s territory, sovereignty and peace,”

Yeah... it won't happen.

Most probably those "missiles" will be exchanged for two boxes of Anis Cartujo in the black market.

AntulioSardi

PuzzleheadedOne3841

Haunting_Meal296

Yes. Trump wants to put pressure on maduro. Not sure about invading Venezuela tho.


And our president has always been an open supporter of Chavez, but he shut the fuck up during elections, got elected, and now cannot even talk bad about maduro because well he hates the right wing, not the left wing dictators.

So he announced that the Cartel de los Soles does not exist, and that he will support Venezuela “or the great Colombia” in case US decided to invade. So he just deployed military in the frontier just to “mitigate” drug trafficking and that should be enough to tell the US “look we are fighting drug trafficking”

t6_macci

My guess is they're rushing to remove all the most direct proof they can of the direct collaboration between cartels and the Venezuelan military, and may be pretend they're actually fighting traffic, but they're not convincing anyone 

BOT_Negro

The US cannot invade Venezuela. Iraq required 295k  thousands of boots in the ground, Venezuela is more than twice that an there are only 4k Marines deployed in that flotilla.

You DON'T HOLD TERRITORY, YOU DON'T CHANGE REGIME. A fine example of that is Afghanistan.

What Colombia is doing in a very understated way is to close the Venezuelan border effectively, as Maduro's government will go guns blazing versus any internal dissent (and his opposition is stupid enough to do so). So Petro is trying to avoid another humanitarian crisis in his border while saving face.

Maduro also does not want people to leave the country, as he is forcibly recruiting population to his personal militia (got first hand reports of this happening in Oriente region).

NOW, I read somewhere that Russia is in talks for deploying military bases and ICMBs in Venezuela, THAT could be a shitshow and trigger a full fledged invasion and no country will support thm, not even the Russians.

EDIT: 160K troops

tokumotion

&gt; Can anyone in Colombia or Venezuela explain me what's really going on with the troops on their borders?

I can try

&gt; So, I'm trying to figure this out:

ok

&gt; The USA raises the useless bounty against Maduro and then moves in a flotilla too big to counter drug smuggling but too small to actually invade Venezuela

it’s effective for cargo ships and small vessels. which 90% of Venezuelan drugs are sent via sea because… duh and our main costumer for drugs is Europe, not the US. So, also unsure what the point is. 


&gt; Then Maduro, tries (and possibly fails) to raise a part-time militia and then, rather than make a show of his (admittedly inexistent) sea defenses, moves troops to the border with Colombia, even though he's threatened from the North. I presume the troops have orders to look like they are fighting drug smugglers even though they are protecting them and even though the USA moved to threaten Maduro and not drug dealers.

Not sure, but I am more confused at what a militia could do at all against a naval force. Different terrain; different war tactics and all

&gt; So Petro then moves even more troops to the same area, but as a gesture of friendship to Venezuela?

Petro is a bootlicker for guerrilla-like people. Pretty sure he is a joke even within socialist circles but yeah he prob did that 

&gt; Is everyone bluffing? Or do you guys around there have better insights?

The US is bluffing. Venezuela and Colombia are doing a friendly military gesture. 

But yeah it’s stupid.

LoooolGotcha

B34appy

It's a little long. But here I go. 

Colombia shares a long border with Venezuela, and specially in Santander-Táchira region operates no less than four distinct armed groups. EMC, farc, eln, clan del golfo, epl. They make money with drug trafficking, kidnapping and anything legal or illegal that makes money. They are at war with each other and with the Colombian army. 

Those groups moves between Venezuela and colombia, they don't combat the Venezuelan army and don't seem to do extortion and violent stuff in Venezuela (that I know of). Venezuela also  have their own criminal gangs in the area. 

The other aspect was "El cerco diplomático" where latam countries made some kind of blockade, no diplomatic relations or any relation for nine years, it only made the criminal groups stronger. The current government normalized diplomatic relations and wants to fight with those groups along with the Venezuelan army. The opposition wants for us to join in a war against Venezuela. 

There is a third group of mercenaries, right wing politicians and exiled Venezuelans who want to kill Maduro and are ready to take any opportunity, they tried with American mercenaries a few years ago but they caught them.

Today, with trump/rubio and the naval exercise this area needs to be strictly controlled, Venezuela sent 15k troops, Colombia already have 20k in the area but the irregular groups there are still in control they use drones and modern warfare, they took down an helicopter with a Drone just last week. 

for Venezuelans troops on the border are needed to avoid groups of mercenaries to enter Venezuela, colombia has troops to continue our war while avoiding misunderstandings false flags, attacks on civilians. 

We have currently a left leaning president but we also have a very extreme right wing that really wants to start a war with Maduro and are doing everything they can to avoid coordination between Colombia and Venezuela and create a crisis. United States senators also threaten Colombian president to put him in jail if there is any coordination. 

So the troops are there to protect the border and civilian population. in the scenario that Trump do ANYTHING we expect millions of Venezuelans who will cross the border and generate a humanitarian crisis. It will be a disaster.

Snoo_57113

1. Yea, everyone is bluffing.

2. This move is mostly to shift the attention away from internal problems. In the case of Colombia, the Venezuelan border is a place with a lot of influence from guerrillas (what is coincidence, isn't it? /s) so Petro's movement of sending more troops is likely a way to cover the fact that his attempt of peace with the armed groups was a failure and now violence in the region is the highest in the last 20 years; while licking Maduro's ass so he dosen't get mad at him for reinforcing the border

DG-MMII

[deleted]

maburro should take the room temperature challenge

Estrelleta44

Hey OP, Venezuelan ex-pat and OSINT analyst here! It's much more complicated than most people realize so bare with me and you're welcome to go down the rabbit hole on this one. 

Venezuela is in bed with Cuba, Iran, China, Russia, N. Korea, the socialist party in Spain, the guerrillas in Colombia, mostly FARC, the current Colombian president, the Sinaloa Cartel and Hezbollah, among others, and it has been allowing for the above players to infiltrate the western hemisphere and use Venezuela as a hotspot for money laundering, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, terrorist militias training camps, and over the years intel sources indicate that at one point or the other Chavez and Iran may have found uranium deposits in the Perijá pennynsula near the colombo-venezuelan border. Essentially Venezuela is being set up as a launching pad of potential insurgencies in America's backyard. This has been going on since Chavez became president in the late 90's. Now, in addition to all that, the Venezuelan regime runs its own cartel, El Cartel de Los Soles, Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, Diosdado Cabello, Padrino López, Tareck el Aissami, and other high ranking government and military officials are all known cartel bosses. Think of a 3rd world Caribbean paradise gone wild wild west in a matter of two and a half decades. 

Now, you have to understand the dynamics in Venezuela to get a better picture of why most Venezuelans are for the US cleaning house in Venezuela. When Chavez took over Venezuela was the 5th largest economy in the world, the largest oil resources known to men, gold, silver, diamond and gemstones in abundance as natural resources and the potential of becoming the Dubai of Latin American, where if things had been managed correctly, he really could have abolished poverty and hunger, but instead they stole everything, the allowed crime to go rampant to chase away the middle and higher class because they knew that's their biggest opposition, which essentially led to the first wave of immigration, mostly to the US and Europe, and as things got worse and the regional dynamics changed, the lower class started immigrating illegally to other countries across LatAm, sometimes walking as far as Argentina, and when the US opened its borders, many decent people from Venezuela also came into the US, but Venezuela's narco-regime decided to infiltrate the US with criminals and insurgents, they also gave many middle eastern nationals Venezuelan identities so they can pose as immigrants from none-muslim countries, and I have heard and met at least 4 'venezuelan' Muslims who barely speak Spanish and one who'd never even been there. Oh! Almost forgot! The entire military and intelligence apparatus in Venezuela is being ran and supervised by Cuba, Russia and China, and all three also have heavy military presence in Venezuelan territory as well. 

In addition to all that, the Maduro regime forcefully disappears people, incarcerates opposition figures, tortures students, judges, innocents. So many youth have been shot by his thugs point blank in the streets for wanting a change. It's sick. Maduro and his combo are POSs that deserve to rot, who should be forced to return every penny they stole from the people of Venezuela. Bunch of incompetent animals with the IQ of cockroaches. Do your homework please. Venezuela needs a change. Trump is doing the right thing, and I have nothing to gain by saying this because I don't live in the US and certainly don't vote in US elections. I have a brother and his kids there and I fear more for them under the regime than I do if the US takes action, he's also pointed out that the alleged militias Maduro is calling are a bunch of undisciplined street thugs with zero training, many are old or clueless and the second they see one US soldier they'll abandon ship.

HannaRC

Spotted in Colombia. Presented without comment

https://preview.redd.it/48fryh745zlf1.jpeg?width=4284&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=ff7688c10c053493214830983b437a348d5d3bf8

Complex_Judgment_296

President Trump has indicated that the U.S. might initiate discussions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro while simultaneously ramping up military presence in the region with the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier's arrival as part of Operation Southern Spear.

US Military Presence in Venezuela and Diplomatic Talks with Maduro

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Public Sentiment Summary

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