President Trump has told his advisers he's planning to speak directly with Nicolas Maduro, even as the U.S. designated the Venezuela president Monday as the head of a terrorist organization, administration officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: Trump's decision is an important milestone in his gunboat diplomacy aimed at Venezuela — and could be a sign that U.S. missile strikes or direct military action on land are not imminent, those sources say. • "Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point. I wouldn't say never, but that's not the plan right now," according to one official familiar with the discussions. • "In the meantime, we're going to blow up boats shipping drugs. We're going to stop the drug trafficking." • At least 83 people have been killed in 21

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