The U.S. has a large military presence off the coast of Venezuela amid ongoing tensions involving President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
Washington's warning was delivered in a phone call with Caracas and offered guaranteed evacuation for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son, but only if the dictator agreed to resign on the spot, according to the Miami Herald.
The Trump administration has ordered an increasingly significant military buildup in the Caribbean region around Venezuela since August, including the most sophisticated aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, concentrated in the region.
Coates called the buildup "the most significant since Iraq."
At least for now, however, Coates said the most likely route the administration will take is unleashing targeted airstrikes on cartel infrastructure in Venezuela. These, Coates explained, would likely be similar to the air strikes the Department of War has been unleashing on drug boats since September.
SCHUMER ACCUSES TRUMP OF PUSHING US TOWARD ‘FOREIGN WAR’ WITH VENEZUELA
An aerial view of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy, USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, together on November 3, 2023. (Photo by U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Janae Chambers/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"You could start by reaching out to his top military brass, suggest that they might find themselves under some pretty onerous sanctions if they don't comply with the United States. There are a lot of people who like to spend a lot of time in Miami in that community, and if they suddenly realize that they or their girlfriends or wives can't actually go to Miami anymore, that could be a compelling feature."
"Somebody might decide they want that $25 million that's on Maduro and betray him to the American authorities," she added. "Ultimately there could be a raid to capture him, which has happened before in Panama in 1989."
"So, that's all possible scenarios, but I think they're exploring scenario one now before moving on to any other options."
TOP DEM BLASTS TRUMP'S CARTEL STRIKES, SAYS ADMIN OVERSTEPPING WAR POWERS
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword during an event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
"What I think is critical for the American people to realize is this has morphed internationally into something that's more than a drug enforcement issue," she added. "We're losing 100,000 citizens a year to the drugs that are coming in, everyone knows fentanyl, it's also record amounts of cocaine that are coming out of Venezuela. And it's gone from being a nuisance to being a major national security threat."
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"That's why the president is taking the actions that he has," she added.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/expert-reveals-what-would-take-trump-deploy-troops-venezuela-possibility-escalation