13 November 2025

The expert conversation: What’s Trump’s endgame in Venezuela?

Matthew Kroenig and Jason Marczak

US President Donald Trump has steadily accelerated his campaign of attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, while building up US military forces in the region. Aside from the anti-drug mission, the US president and his allies have indicated that they intend to force out Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, though the administration reportedly told Congress this week that it doesn’t have the legal justifications for strikes inside the country right now.

To shed light on what’s going on and what to expect next, we spoke earlier this week with Matt Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, and Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. This expert conversation has been lightly edited and condensed below.

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