Why Did the United States Seek to Overthrow Maduro?

SadaNews Translation - The stunning nighttime raid by the United States to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro followed months of intense pressure campaign, which began with a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest in August.

Publicly, the United States justified its naval raids and significant military presence off the coast of Venezuela in the name of combating drug-related terrorism.

Mark Caputo from Axios reported, according to SadaNews translation, that White House officials had been secretly viewing Maduro's removal as a long-term goal.

Axios stated, "The Trump administration framed the arrest operation as a law enforcement action based on U.S. indictments against Maduro, as well as his illegitimacy as President of Venezuela due to the sham elections held in the country in 2018."

As for the main reasons that drove the United States to seek the overthrow of the Venezuelan leader, they were as follows according to Axios:

1- The number one enemy in the Americas: For the White House, Maduro was a source of troubles extending beyond Venezuela. Officials viewed him as a bad actor who supported other enemies in the Western Hemisphere.

• The Trump administration considers Venezuela, along with Cuba and Nicaragua, to be key players in the "socialist axis," while also keeping Colombia under scrutiny. Trump warned last month that Colombian President Gustavo Petro needs to be "careful" about the flow of cocaine into the United States.

• The U.S. administration did not conceal much that its dispute with Maduro's socialist regime was about ideology as much as it was about drugs.

2- Cocaine trafficking: The United States alleges that Venezuela is involved in state-sponsored drug trafficking by supporting notorious criminal gangs, including the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. Trump has also accused Maduro of deliberately sending members of these groups to the United States.

• U.S. intelligence concluded last year in a secret memo that Maduro did not actually control the Aragua Train, which angered some in the Trump administration, but the indictment against Maduro outlines his alleged ties to drug trafficking.

• Drug enforcement operations were the official motive behind a series of U.S. strikes against suspected drug boats in recent months.

 • The reward announced for capturing Maduro was also linked to drug trafficking charges.

3- Oil: Trump claimed that Venezuela, which holds the largest known oil reserves in the world, had "stolen" U.S. oil, citing the confiscation of equipment following the nationalization of Venezuelan oil.

• Trump stated on Saturday that the United States would rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and compensate U.S. companies that lost in the seizures.
   
4- Migration: The economic collapse and repression under Maduro's regime led to mass displacement, with 8 million Venezuelans fleeing over the past decade - "the largest wave of mass migration in modern history for this hemisphere," according to the Atlantic Council.

• This made Venezuela’s problems an American issue, especially when President Trump returned to office in 2025, determined to curb the flow of migrants to the United States.

5. Gold: The United States claims that Venezuela's vast gold reserves helped the country survive U.S. pressures for many years.

• The gold, which can be used to buy weapons or fuel or cash, is alleged to have been used as a key tool to evade sanctions.

6- Maduro's foreign friends: Venezuela has alliances with many of America's adversaries. Some supporters of Trump's actions portrayed it as a warning to distant powers to stay away from the hemisphere.

• China is the largest buyer of Venezuelan oil and has condemned U.S. interventions in the country.

• Iran and its Lebanese allies, Hezbollah, have allied with Venezuela under the banner of the "axis of unity" based on opposition to U.S. foreign policy.

• Russia and Venezuela also have a long-standing partnership.