Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of preparing for war against his country after the Pentagon confirmed the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region.
In a televised address on Friday night, Maduro accused Washington of “fabricating a new eternal war” against Venezuela. “They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war that we will avoid,” he said. “They are creating an extravagant narrative — vulgar, criminal, and totally fake.”
The Pentagon announced earlier that the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the world, had been dispatched to the Caribbean to “dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism.” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the move was designed to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors” that threaten American security in the Western Hemisphere.
The deployment marks a major escalation in the Trump administration’s military posture in Latin America. Officials insist the buildup is aimed at combating drug cartels, but critics view it as part of a broader campaign of pressure against left-wing governments in the region.
Trump, who has long called Maduro an illegitimate leader, has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan president of overseeing cocaine trafficking operations — claims that remain unsubstantiated. In August, Washington raised its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.
Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out air and sea strikes in the Caribbean targeting boats allegedly linked to drug cartels. At least 43 people have been killed in 10 such strikes, according to administration figures. Trump has threatened to extend operations into Venezuelan territory, saying on Thursday: “We’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. They’re going to be, you know, dead.”
Legal experts have questioned the legality of the strikes, which have been launched without congressional approval. Trump suggested he may seek authorization only if ground forces are deployed, telling reporters, “If we do it by land, we may go back to Congress.”
The Gerald R. Ford will join eight U.S. warships and around 10,000 troops already stationed in the region, alongside 10 F-35 fighter jets deployed to Puerto Rico last month. The Pentagon also confirmed that the CIA has been authorized to conduct covert operations in Venezuela — a move Maduro called “a desperate attempt at regime change.”
Maduro dismissed U.S. accusations of drug production, insisting, “Venezuela is a country that does not produce coca leaves.”
The U.S. carrier, recently docked in Split, Croatia, is expected to take several days to reach Venezuelan waters. Its deployment adds to growing fears that tensions between Washington and Caracas could spiral into direct confrontation — despite Trump’s past campaign promises to end America’s “endless wars.”
