Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro has moved to unprecedentedly toughen his security. As the pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies, Maduro is frequently changing his residence and cell phone and sharply increasing his security detail, signaling a full-fledged state of alert.
According to a New York Times (NYT) report on the 2nd, Maduro, mindful of the possibility of a U.S. ground deployment or precision strikes, is repeatedly switching his lodging, bed and even his mobile phone devices. He is also replacing many of his security personnel with Cubans, out of concern that Venezuelan guards, whose real wages have fallen due to soaring inflation, could have been bought off by outside forces.
However, outwardly, Maduro is projecting composure, making a visible effort to conceal any anxiety. He has appeared without notice at rallies in the capital, Caracas, dancing before supporters and posting pro-government videos on TikTok, presenting a confident front to dispel fears of war with the United States.
For example, on the 15th of last month, Maduro appeared at a rally of his support base and belted out John Lennon's famous song "Imagine," themed on "anti-war," then produced a video of the performance and posted it on TikTok. Then on the 1st, he attended the inauguration of regional leaders of the ruling party and, in a speech, emphasized, "What we want is peace with sovereignty, equality and freedom guaranteed," moving to build an image as a so-called "peace leader."
Still, according to government sources, despite a bellicose exterior, Maduro is in a state of extreme tension, and in recent days a war atmosphere has reportedly been spreading within his camp. One official said, "In public, Maduro is increasing surprise on-site visits and distributing pre-recorded messages as part of a battle for public opinion," but added, "In reality, he is complaining of intense pressure from the U.S. side."
Earlier, since early September, the United States has carried out at least 21 maritime strike operations against vessels it claimed were drug runners in the Caribbean, killing more than 80 crew members and pressuring Venezuela. In recent months, it has deployed the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, more than 10 large warships and 15,000 U.S. troops to the Caribbean, the largest U.S. deployment in the waters in about 30 years. That is why there are assessments that U.S. military intervention is imminent.
Inside Venezuela, a wartime posture is also being established. The Venezuelan government has defined U.S. military movements as an "attempt at military intervention aimed at toppling the regime" and is conducting training with the army, navy, air force, reserves and even militias. In addition, according to the Washington Post (WP), Maduro recently requested missile systems and radar systems from Russia.
Some say that even if war does not materialize, instability inside Venezuela will not be easily resolved unless the Maduro regime is ousted. Despite controversy over a fraudulent election last year, Maduro pushed through a third term, forced media outlets to shut down and arbitrarily arrested figures critical of the government, driving public sentiment toward the current regime to rock bottom.
Former Venezuela Minister of Information and Communications Andrés Izarra said, "The greatest crisis of the Maduro regime is the 'collapse of legitimacy,'" adding, "But they are deliberately turning a blind eye to the public's anger."