President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last week to discuss a possible in-person meeting, as first reported by the New York Times on November 28, 2025. The conversation, which included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, represents Trump’s first direct contact with the Venezuelan leader despite months of escalating military pressure in the Caribbean.
Sources familiar with the call confirmed the leaders discussed potential meeting logistics, though no date or location has been finalized. The outreach comes as the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group patrols Caribbean waters with 15,000 U.S. troops positioned across the region, conducting lethal strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels under Operation Southern Spear.
Trump’s dual-track approach—threatening military action while opening diplomatic channels—mirrors his 2018 strategy with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The president has repeatedly stated he “might talk to” Maduro while simultaneously warning that land strikes inside Venezuela will “start very soon.” In Thanksgiving remarks to troops, Trump declared: “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
The phone call reflects growing recognition within the administration that military pressure alone may not dislodge Maduro. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched 21 strikes on boats since September, killing at least 83 people, while designating the Cartel de los Soles—allegedly led by Maduro—as a foreign terrorist organization on November 24.
Maduro faces a stark choice. Private offers to grant U.S. access to Venezuela’s 300 billion barrel oil reserves have been dismissed by Trump as insufficient. Venezuelan officials believe Trump is bluffing, calculating that direct military intervention faces 70% opposition among Americans and would be politically costly for the president.
Turkey has emerged as a potential neutral venue for talks, leveraging President Erdogan’s good relations with both Trump and Maduro. However, Maduro remains reluctant to leave Venezuela, fearing prosecution for drug trafficking and human rights abuses. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, has vowed the regime “must be held accountable.”
The Trump administration is weighing multiple scenarios. Military planners have briefed options ranging from seizing oil infrastructure to targeting Maduro’s security detail. Three White House meetings this week focused on Venezuela options, with a senior official telling Fox News the “table is being set” for possible military action.
For now, the carrier’s presence ensures Maduro feels the pressure. Whether Trump’s outreach leads to a Singapore-style summit or serves as prelude to strikes depends on whether oil concessions and political guarantees can satisfy Washington’s demands for regime change.
