U.S. Lawmaker Claims 'Maduro's Days Are Numbered' After State Department Posts Anti-Drug Video

Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez (FL-28) declared during the weekend that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's "days are numbered" after the State Department released a video highlighting anti-drug operations in the Caribbean that prominently featured a reward notice for Maduro.

The State Department's video, published Saturday, showcased U.S. naval patrols in the southern Caribbean and announced the Trump administration's commitment to "dismantle, disrupt, and eliminate foreign terrorist organizations." It also reiterated a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest, the largest such bounty ever offered by the United States.

The video was released as the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard expand operations in the Caribbean and Latin America, with the stated goal of disrupting transnational cartels. Venezuelan officials have condemned the operations, characterizing them as part of a broader U.S. campaign to undermine Maduro's government.

On Friday, NBC News revealed that the U.S. is reportedly drawing up options to strike cartel targets inside Venezuela, adding that a strike could take place in a matter of weeks, according to at least four sources. The plans being discussed primarily focus on drone strikes against drug trafficking groups' members and leadership, as well as targeting drug labs.

Asked for comment, the White House referred NBC News to this previous statement from the president: "We'll see what happens. Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. It's not acceptable."

The post by Carlos Giménez continues a pattern of sharp rhetoric against the Venezuelan leader. Earlier this month, he posted on X that "Dictator Nicolás Maduro has declared war on the American people and that "his narco-terrorist regime must be crushed and eliminated once and for all." Those remarks coincided with the Trump administration's reinforcement of its military presence in Puerto Rico and the deployment of additional warships near Venezuela.