President Donald Trump said in a Thanksgiving video message to U.S. troops that the United States will soon expand efforts to stop Venezuelan drug trafficking “by land,” marking a sharp escalation in rhetoric with Caracas. He praised U.S. personnel for their role in impeding shipments and said operations at sea have already reduced flows substantially. “We’ve almost stopped it. It’s about 85 percent stopped by sea,” he said, adding that land interdiction would begin “very soon.” Trump warned Venezuela to “stop sending poison to our country,” saying the U.S. had already done a great deal to address the problem.
The remarks come after weeks of heightened U.S. military activity in the region, including the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group, stealth fighters and thousands of troops. U.S. forces have conducted a campaign of strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, with reports attributing more than 20 strikes since September and at least 83 fatalities. Legal experts and several Latin American governments have criticized the campaign as extrajudicial, asserting that many of those killed were fishermen, and have said Washington has not publicly presented evidence that the struck vessels were involved in drug trafficking.
Trump has previously warned of possible U.S. military strikes on targets in Venezuela and publicly accused President Nicolás Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials of ties to the drug trade. Caracas rejects those allegations, calling the drug-trafficking claims a pretext for U.S. military intervention and efforts at “regime change.”
In a national broadcast response, Maduro said he would not be intimidated by U.S. threats, accusing foreign forces of issuing “false and extravagant” warnings that few believe. He insisted Venezuelans were prepared “with imperturbable serenity to defend their homeland, their soil, their seas, their sky, their soul, and their history.”
The exchange underscores growing tensions between Washington and Caracas as U.S. officials ramp up interdiction efforts and Venezuela dismisses American claims and threats. Observers and regional governments continue to call for clearer evidence tying targeted vessels to narcotics trafficking and for restraint to avoid further civilian harm.