Trump says Venezuela wants to negotiate, but what just showed up in the Caribbean tells a very different story

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro wants to have talks with the United States. But at the same time, the biggest and most powerful aircraft carrier in America just arrived in the Caribbean Sea. This has many people wondering what is really going on between the two countries.

According to the New York Post, the USS Gerald Ford got to the Caribbean on Sunday with a group of other Navy ships. The huge carrier weighs 100,000 tons and came with about a dozen other warships. All together, there are around 12,000 sailors and Marines in this group. This is the biggest American military force in the Caribbean in 35 years.

Trump says Venezuela wants to negotiate, but what happened next raises questions about peace talks. “We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” the president told reporters. When people asked him what this means, Trump said, “What does it mean? You tell me, I don’t know. I’ll talk to anybody. We’ll see what happens.”

Actions speak louder than words

The military mission is called Operation Southern Spear. American forces have been attacking boats they say are carrying drugs from Venezuela since September. They have hit at least 22 boats with missiles, and these attacks have killed at least 86 people. The latest strike happened on Saturday in the Pacific Ocean and killed three men on a boat.

Maduro spoke to the media a few days before Trump made his comments. He asked for peace between the countries. “To unite for the peace of [the Americas]. No more endless wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan,” Maduro said in the interview. When the reporter asked if he wanted to say anything to Trump, Maduro answered, “Yes, peace. Yes, peace.”

But even while asking for peace, Venezuela is getting ready to fight back. Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López declared the military would go on “full operational readiness,” mobilizing all land, air, river, and missile units, along with the national militia.

This comes as Trump has taken aggressive military stances against former allies in recent months.

America does not think Maduro is the real leader of Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Maduro cheated in the election last year. On Sunday, Rubio said the State Department will call a group called Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization starting on November 24. He says Maduro and other top people in his government run this drug cartel.

American soldiers are also training in other countries near Venezuela. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has revealed that troops have been working in Panama. He said the military will start up its jungle school again to get ready for any orders from Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Maduro is already wanted in America for drug crimes, and Trump has offered a $50 million reward for his capture.