Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is reportedly forced to sleep in a different bed each night, drastically ramping up his personal security amid fears of a US military intervention ordered by Donald Trump.
A Presidency on the Run
According to sources close to his government speaking to the New York Times, Maduro has been constantly moving and changing phones since September 2025 to prevent Washington from locking on to his location. This comes as the former US president has increasingly threatened direct action against the Caracas regime.
The Venezuelan leader, 63, has also expanded his security detail, drawing in more Cuban personnel and foreign counterintelligence officers. This is a direct response to the massive US naval buildup off Venezuela's coast and alleged covert actions by Washington. Speculation that Maduro had fled the country swirled last week before he re-emerged to announce talks with Trump.
Trump's Ultimatum and 'Southern Spear' Buildup
The talks have done little to calm tensions. Donald Trump is said to have issued Maduro with an ultimatum to leave Venezuela last week. Then, on Tuesday 2 December 2025, Trump warned his administration could attack accused drug traffickers across Latin America "very soon," marking a definitive escalation.
"Anybody that's doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack," Trump stated, specifically citing cocaine trafficked from Colombia. He added that strikes would move from naval to land targets, claiming, "The land is much easier. And we know the routes they take."
The Trump administration accuses Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking, a charge the Venezuelan leader denies. In response, the US has deployed some 15,000 troops and more than a dozen warships to the region in an operation dubbed "Operation Southern Spear" in November.
Preparing for Guerrilla Resistance and Legal Fog
With Trump showing no sign of backing down, an atmosphere of tension persists in Maduro's inner circle. Domestically, the US Senate last month voted down a resolution that would have prevented strikes on Venezuela without a formal declaration of war, giving Trump a free hand.
Facing this threat, Venezuela is now believed to be preparing for a guerrilla-style resistance, potentially involving small military units carrying out sabotage. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, addressed controversial reports on Tuesday. He commented on a US strike on an alleged drug boat that killed two survivors in the water, an act some experts warn could be a war crime. Hegseth blamed the "fog of war" for the decision.
As the standoff continues, Maduro's nocturnal movements symbolise a regime under siege, bracing for a conflict that appears increasingly likely.
