Trump and Maduro are both amassing military forces as tensions build in the Caribbean

Members of the Bolivarian Militia stand in formation during a military training, amid rising tensions with the US, in Caracas, Venezuela on October 11, 2025. Gaby Oraa/Reuters

As President Donald Trump weighs military action inside Venezuela, building up forces in the Caribbean and flying B-52 bombers off the country’s coast this week, Nicolás Maduro is responding in kind, repositioning troops, mobilizing “millions” of militia and denouncing US activity in the region – a sign of defiance from the strongman as the two leaders are locked in a standoff.

Trump administration officials have privately acknowledged that the intensifying US pressure campaign is aimed at ousting Maduro, a goal that was also a target of Trump’s first term in office when the White House recognized Venezue