Trump confirms: "Maduro's days are numbered."

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, assured that the time in power of the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro “is coming to an end,” although he avoided confirming whether Washington plans a direct military intervention in the South American country.

“I would say yes. I think so,” Trump replied when journalist Norah O'Donnell from '60 Minutes' (CBS News) asked him if Maduro’s days as president were numbered. “I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do with Venezuela, whether I will do it or not,” he added, keeping the possibility of imminent action open.

The U.S. president, who maintains a policy of maximum pressure against leftist regimes allied with Cuba, made these statements following the deployment of over 10,000 troops, F-35 fighter jets, and several warships—including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford—in the Caribbean Sea, just a few miles from the Venezuelan coast.

"I doubt it. I don’t believe it," Trump said when asked if the United States was heading towards war with Venezuela. However, he justified the military presence by claiming that Maduro's regime "has treated the United States very poorly," and accused the Chavista government of emptying prisons and psychiatric hospitals to send "criminals and mentally ill individuals" to American territory during the administration of Joe Biden.

Sources of intelligence cited by CNN indicated that the Pentagon has considered "surgical strikes" against cocaine labs and drug trafficking routes within Venezuelan territory, operations that would receive logistical support from bases in Puerto Rico and Curacao.

According to previous reports, U.S. forces have destroyed at least nine vessels and caused dozens of deaths in the Caribbean as part of an offensive to curb drug trafficking.

Trump neither confirmed nor denied those actions, but made it clear that "Venezuela is a country that has allowed its prisons to empty into the United States," describing that situation as "a national security priority."

The rise in tensions has raised concerns in Latin America, where several governments have called for avoiding a military escalation. However, in Washington, the perception is growing that the collapse of the Chavista regime is "just a matter of time."

“Maduro's days are numbered,” Trump repeated, marking a new turning point in the already deteriorated relationship between Caracas and Washington.

Washington delivers the same message: "Maduro's days are numbered."

The message that "Nicolás Maduro's days are numbered" has become a recurring phrase among high-ranking officials and influential figures in the United States in recent weeks, signaling a clear hardening of the rhetoric toward the chavista regime and preparations for a potential political change in Venezuela.

Since early October, both members of Donald Trump's government and Republican legislators, as well as former high-ranking officials in intelligence and diplomacy, have concurred in warning that the power of the Venezuelan dictator is entering its final phase.

On October 5, former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn stated that “Maduro is cornered and his downfall is just a matter of time,” emphasizing that Washington “will not allow Venezuela to remain a sanctuary for drug trafficking and an ally of Havana and Tehran.”

Ten days later, on October 15, international media reported that the United States had tightened its military perimeter around Venezuela, conducting joint exercises in the Caribbean and the Pacific, along with an "unprecedented" naval mobilization since 2020.

Pentagon sources then cited the "need to ensure hemispheric security" in light of the alleged collaboration between chavismo and criminal networks and armed groups.

On October 27, Republican Senator Rick Scott reiterated the message: “Maduro knows his end is near. The United States and our allies will not rest until we see Venezuela free from its dictatorship,” he stated in Washington.

One day later, the former U.S. ambassador to the OAS stated that "the next 30 days could be decisive" for Maduro's future, referring to U.S. military movements in the Caribbean and the internal decline of the regime.

Also, the congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, in statements made on October 11, asserted that "Maduro is terrified" and that his power circle "is seeking a negotiated exit in the face of international pressure."

These statements, disseminated by various media outlets, strengthen the perception that the Trump administration and the U.S. Congress are acting in coordination to pressure the collapse of chavismo.

Overall, Washington's narrative points in the same direction: Maduro is at his politically weakest moment, internationally isolated, facing increasing economic sanctions and a military blockade that leaves the regime with few options for survival.

"The days of Maduro are numbered" has shifted from being a diplomatic statement to becoming a strategic slogan that sets the political and communicational stage for a possible outcome in Venezuela.

Russia fully engages in the Caribbean crisis of Nicolás Maduro's regime

For its part, this Sunday Moscow confirmed that it has intensified its presence and support for the Chavista regime in Venezuela, which redefines the geopolitical context in the Caribbean. According to reports from international media, Maduro's government has formally requested Russian backing as Washington deploys naval and air forces in the area.

According to the information, Caracas has recently signed a strategic partnership treaty with Russia that encompasses not only economic cooperation but also military exchange, training, technology supply, and energy collaboration.

Moscow, for its part, would have diplomatically supported Maduro in the face of pressure from Donald Trump and his administration, and has rejected what it describes as "attempts at interference" by the U.S. in the region.

The strengthening of the bond between Venezuela and Russia occurs at a critical moment. Within this context, the Moscow-Caracas intervention appears as a direct response to what the regime describes as "an American threat" to its sovereignty.

For the Cuban regime and its allies in Latin America, this Russian support represents a crucial lifeline. It not only reinforces Maduro's political survival in the face of international sanctions and isolation campaigns, but also serves as a platform to project regional power and counter American hegemony.

Likewise, Moscow gains a strategic ally in the hemisphere, access to energy resources, and a broader geopolitical position that encompasses the Caribbean.

The Maduro regime's request to Russia and the Kremlin's involvement in the Caribbean crisis are not mere statements but a strategic shift that also implicates the Cuban regime and further complicates the situation in Venezuela, heightening tensions among the great powers as Caracas clings to external support to stay afloat.