Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro is refusing to relinquish power in the country, confident he can wait out the Trump administration's pressure campaign, according to a new report.
Even though Maduro is increasingly fearful of an attack against him or critical infrastructure, his regime is not showing signs of collapsing, The Washington Post claimed, based on interviews with people close to the regime.
In this context, both sides are seeking to find an off-ramp for the conflict, the outlet added. The phone call between Trump and Maduro was cordial, but Trump reiterated the need for Maduro to step down. There were no ultimatums and a new call is likely to take place in the future.
"Deep down, they're nervous, but they think nothing will happen," one of the officials said, claiming that they want to "see how far Trump will go."
In the meantime, however, Maduro has been sleeping in different places and changing his phone number to avoid being targeted.
The New York Times detailed last week that Maduro has also leaned on Cuba as the Trump administration escalates its pressure campaign against his regime, which recently included a warning from the U.S. president to relinquish power or risk being forcefully.
The outlet added that Maduro has also expanded the role of Cuban bodyguards in his security detailed and added more counterintelligence officers from the country to the Venezuelan military, considering that Havana has a vested interest in keeping Maduro in power given the countries' tight relations.
Another report by CNN noted that the regime has also ramped up repression over the past weeks. According to human rights group Provea, 54 people were detained in October, the highest number since tensions with the Trump administration began in the region. Many of them have ties with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado.
Surveillance is also increasing. A report from Reuters noted that intelligence officers are keeping tabs on family members of people killed at sea by U.S. strikes against alleged drug vessels.
Citing people affected, Reuters noted that Bolivarian National Intelligence Service agents told them not to post about their loved ones' deaths on social media. The bodies have not been retrieved and families have not been able to hold funerals for them.
Originally published on Latin Times
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
