President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro dances during a march as part of the "Venezuelan Student Day" at Miraflores in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov. 21, 2025. Photo: Jesus Vargas/Getty Images.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—US President Donald Trump spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last week and discussed a possible meeting between them in the United States, the New York Times (NYT) reported Friday, citing US and Venezuelan sources.
The NYT added that there are no immediate plans for such a meeting, which would be the first-ever encounter between the authoritarian US ruler and President Maduro.
The revelation of the phone call comes as Trump continues to use warmongering rhetoric toward Venezuela while also entertaining the possibility of diplomacy. In at least five statements over the past three weeks, the US ruler has said he is willing to talk with Maduro. However, he has typically accompanied these statements with unfounded accusations—that Maduro leads narco-terrorist organizations, sends criminals and people with mental health conditions to the US, and interferes in US and regional elections.
Trump’s erratic and contradictory statements reflect a pattern that leaves his true intentions unclear. Analysts are divided on the motive: some argue this diplomatic overture is a distraction ahead of potential US military strikes on Venezuela; others believe it is the only viable option, as the goal of triggering a military fracture within Venezuela to spark a coup has not materialized and appears unlikely in the near term.
Growing internal support for Maduro
US military and rhetorical threats have galvanized domestic support for President Maduro. Thousands attend his public events nearly daily, millions have voluntarily joined the Bolivarian Militia to defend the country, and even anti-Chavista politicians and public figures have expressed support for any strategy aimed at defending the homeland.
Since early September, US forces under Trump’s command have carried out a controversial military operation that UN experts and US military lawyers have labeled extrajudicial killings. The campaign has killed 82 civilians in 21 strikes on small boats in the region; victims include nationals of Venezuela, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago, along with one Ecuadorian survivor.
No “kinetic strikes” have been reported in the past 13 days. The last confirmed strike occurred Nov. 15, when three civilians were killed in a small boat in an unspecified location in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Contradictory US strategy
The alleged war on drugs military operation, recently dubbed Southern Spear, has amassed more than 15,000 troops off the coast of Venezuela, with the largest US aircraft carrier, submarines, warships, logistical vessels, and dozens of fifth-generation aircraft. This is the largest US military deployment in decades, and experts agree it resembles a regime change operation more than a war on drugs operation.
Before the deployment, the US raised the bounty on President Maduro to $50 million, closing the gap to the $100 million sought by Venezuelan far-right figures and US mercenaries like Erik Prince to solve the “Venezuelan problem.” The US has accused Maduro of leading the disbanded Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, the nonexistent Cartel of the Suns, and even of ties with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
Speaking Thursday from Mar-a-Lago, Trump said “In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers,” adding: We’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.” Moments later, he said he was open to talks with Maduro.
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that US forces deliberately killed survivors in a “double tap” strike after bombing a drug boat near Trinidad—following a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “kill everybody.”
The NYT claimed the call included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a leading architect of the US regime-change campaign.
Recent US aggressive actions against Venezuela include:
• Designating the Cartel of the Suns as a foreign terrorist organization.
• Jamming satellite navigation systems over Venezuela.
• Conducting sudden military drills in Trinidad and Tobago, just miles from Venezuela’s coast.
• Flying B-52H bombers in exercises near Venezuela’s coast.
• Issuing an FAA NOTAM urging air carriers to adopt extreme security measures in Venezuelan-controlled airspace, disrupting international flights.
President Maduro: ‘No Foreign Threat Will Intimidate Venezuela’ (+US Secretary of War)
The US claim that this is a “war on drugs” has been widely dismissed. Experts note Venezuela plays only a marginal role in international drug networks—it is neither a producer nor processor of narcotics and serves as a transit route for just 5–8% of cocaine moving from Colombia, Peru and Bolivia to the north.
Few in Venezuela credit Trump’s diplomatic gestures. Observers cite Maduro’s rising domestic support and his consistent stance: any dialogue with the US must be based on respect for Venezuela’s constitutional authorities—a condition Washington has yet to accept.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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