Trump Begins Buildup of U.S. Naval Forces Outside Venezuela, but Many Remain Skeptical

For at least a decade, rumors have swirled in Venezuela that the United States is going to swoop in with troops in and topple the country’s autocrat, Nicolás Maduro. The troops have never arrived, and Washington-backed efforts to replace him have failed.

So this week, when the Trump administration began a major buildup of U.S. naval forces outside the South American nation — prompting questions about whether President Trump is once again planning for regime change — Venezuelans responded with a bit of fear and anxiety, but mostly well-earned skepticism.

“I sincerely don’t believe the American government will do anything,” said Pedro Martínez, 52, a driver in the city of Valencia, near the country’s northern coast. “They make their announcements, but nothing happens. We’ve been doing this for many years, and we Venezuelans no longer believe anyone, neither here nor there.”

The Pentagon began moving U.S. Navy assets, including warships, into the southern Caribbean Sea recently, after Mr. Trump issued a still-secret directive calling on the military to use force against Latin American drug cartels, including a Venezuelan group called the Cartel de los Soles.

Officials in the Trump administration have said the buildup was part of an effort to stop drugs from flooding into the United States, while also calling Mr. Maduro an illegitimate leader.

In response, Mr. Maduro said on Monday that he was deploying 4.5 million militiamen around the country. “No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America,” he said.