In the wake of Chavez's death, Maduro blamed
Roger Noriega and
Otto Reich for an attempted assassination plot against
Henrique Capriles who was running against Maduro in upcoming elections. On 1 October 2013, the US ordered three Venezuelan diplomats out of the country in response to the Venezuelan government's decision to expel three US officials from Venezuela. In 2014, 62% of Venezuelans viewed the U.S. positively. On 16 February 2014, President
Nicolas Maduro ordered another three US consular officials to leave the country, accusing them of conspiring against the government and aiding opposition protests. Maduro described the US statements that claimed to be concerned with rising tensions and protests and warned against Venezuela's possible arrest of the country's opposition leader as "unacceptable" and "insolent." He said, "I don't take orders from anyone in the world." The United States responded by expelling three additional Venezuelan diplomats from the country. On 2 February 2015, the
United States Department of State imposed visa restrictions on current and former Venezuelan officials that were allegedly linked to
human rights abuses and
political corruption. The visa restrictions also included family members, with the Department of State saying, "We are sending a clear message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public corruption, and their families are not welcome in the United States". In December 2014, the US
Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 targeted some individuals. It was extended in 2016 to expire on 31 December 2019. on 26 September 2016 On 9 March 2015, the United States President,
Barack Obama, issued a presidential order declaring Venezuela a "threat to its national security" and ordered sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials. Venezuelan President
Nicolás Maduro denounced the sanctions as an attempt to topple his socialist government. Washington said that the sanctions targeted individuals who were involved in the violation of Venezuelans' human rights, saying that "we are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government's efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents". The sanctions were denounced by other Latin American countries. The
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States issued a statement criticizing Washington's "unilateral coercive measures against International Law." According to academic Helen Yaffe, between 2014 and 2020, United States sanctions against Venezuela are estimated to have caused the deaths of 100,000 people due to the difficulty of importing medicine and health care equipment.
Beginning of Trump's first term Following the election of
Donald Trump as President of the United States in
2016,
Citgo, a US-based oil company owned by the Venezuelan government, gifted $500,000 toward
Donald Trump's inauguration on 20 January 2017. On 20 April 2017, the Venezuelan Government seized the
General Motors plant in the Venezuelan state of
Zulia, causing the plant to close operations.
2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis On 11 August 2017, President Trump said that he is "not going to rule out a military option" to confront the autocratic government of Nicolás Maduro and the deepening crisis in Venezuela. Venezuela's Defense Minister,
Vladimir Padrino López, immediately criticized Trump for his statement, calling it "an act of supreme extremism" and "an act of madness." The Venezuelan Communications Minister,
Ernesto Villegas, said Trump's words amounted to "an unprecedented threat to national sovereignty". President Maduro's son,
Nicolás Maduro Guerra, stated during the 5th
Constituent Assembly of Venezuela session that if the United States were to attack Venezuela, "the rifles would arrive in New York, Mr. Trump, we would arrive and take the
White House." In 2017, Pew found that 47% of the Venezuelan population views the United States favorably and 35% view it unfavorably.
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis On 23 January 2019, Maduro announced that Venezuela was breaking ties with the United States following President Trump's announcement of recognizing
Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela's
National Assembly, as the interim President of Venezuela. The possibility of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela was proposed by President Trump, but allies and congress members opposed the idea. Maduro said all US diplomats must leave within 72 hours, but Guaidó said that they should stay. Maduro later confirmed the closure of the
Venezuelan Embassy and all consulates in the United States. In response Maduro ordered the expulsion of US diplomats, giving them 72 hours to leave Venezuela. The US said it would not close its embassy, and their diplomatic relationship was with Guaidó's government. On 26 January 2019, only hours before the deadline, the Maduro government backtracked on its expulsion order, giving US diplomats another 30 days. warned Venezuelan soldiers to renounce loyalty to Nicolás Maduro. The last U.S. diplomats in Caracas left Venezuela on 14 March. From the end of 2018 until March, the US revoked 340 visas from Venezuelans diplomats and others connected with Maduro. The United States established a "Venezuela Affairs Unit" section at the U.S. Embassy in
Bogotá,
Colombia to serve as an interim diplomatic office to Venezuela. When the UN General Assembly voted to add Venezuela to the
UN Human Rights Council in October 2019,
US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft wrote: "I am personally aggrieved that 105 countries voted in favor of this affront to human life and dignity. It provides ironclad proof that the Human Rights Council is broken, and reinforces why the United States withdrew." Venezuela had been accused of withholding from the Venezuelan people
humanitarian aid delivered from other nations, and of manipulating its voters in exchange for food and medical care. In response, Maduro called US President
Donald Trump a "racist cowboy". A few days later, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab summoned opposition leader Juan Guaidó for questioning for an alleged "attempted
coup d'etat" and "attempted assassination". On 31 March,
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that sanctions did not apply to humanitarian aid during the
health emergency and that the United States would lift its sanctions if Maduro agreed to organize elections that did not include Maduro in a period of six to twelve months and reiterated U.S. support for Guaidó. Then on 1 April President Trump announced that he was sending anti-drug Navy ships and
AWACS planes to the region near Venezuela in one of the largest military build-ups in the region since the
1989 invasion of Panama. In May 2020, two Americans, both former U.S. special forces soldiers were among the mercenaries captured during an
unsuccessful invasion in Macuto, Venezuela.
Halliburton was forced by US sanctions to cease operations in Venezuela in December 2020.
Deportation protections On the last full day of his presidency, 19 January 2021, Donald Trump protected 145,000 Venezuelan citizens living in the U.S. from deportation for 18 months. President
Joe Biden extended
temporary protected status (TPS) to
Venezuelan immigrants in March 2021.
Rapprochement In 2022, the U.S. and Venezuela had a gradual
rapprochement. This involved negotiations between the US supported opposition government in exile, and the Maduro government in Mexico city. The negotiations ended with mutual agreement to facilitate the release of about $3 billion of Venezuelan state funds which had been frozen by foreign banks due to the 2019 presidential crisis. Upon release the funds were marked for humanitarian aid to Venezuelans.
Chevron was granted temporary license by the US to resume and expand its joint venture with the Venezuelan national oil company
PDVSA. According to the
New York Times, the US's goal was "to push Mr. Maduro toward setting free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election." In December 2022, the interim government dissolved. Despite the dissolution, the U.S. Government continued to recognize the 2015 National Assembly. The rapprochement was partially spurred by the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine which prompted the US to drastically reduce oil imports from Russia. The agreement aimed for equitable access to both private and public media for all political candidates in the
2024 Venezuelan presidential election, as well as guarantees on freedom of movement and safety. To bolster the credibility of the electoral process, the Venezuelan government extended invitations to international electoral monitoring observers.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken further advocated for the release of wrongfully detained US and political prisoners, and in a joint statement between the
US,
European Union,
United Kingdom and
Canada welcomed the agreement, calling it a necessary step toward the "restoration of
democracy in Venezuela". Both the US and EU had previously deemed Venezuelan elections "illegitimate" and demanded a "specific timeline and process for the expedited reinstatement of all candidates". In November 2023, following the easing of sanctions by the Biden administration, the Venezuelan government announced the resumption of talks with six multinational corporations aimed at restoring the nation's oil production. However, in early December 2023, White House
National Security Council spokesperson
John Kirby stated that the US was prepared to "pause" sanction relief unless the Maduro government could demonstrate renewed progress towards the release of political prisoners and US nationals detained in Venezuela.
Immigration and prisoner exchange Relations under Trump's second presidency were marked by shifting migration trends, including waves of reverse migration. On 24 February 2025, dozens of Venezuelan migrants aimed to return home after failed attempts to enter the US under President Trump's policies to restrict asylum and end humanitarian parole programs. Migrants cited high costs, unclear repatriation options, and dangerous conditions as reasons for their return. On 17 March 2025, the U.S. deported around 200 alleged but unidentified Venezuelan gang members. A federal judge attempted to legally block the deportations which relied on a rarely used executive power from the
Alien and Sedition Acts; however, the Department of Justice stated their flights had already departed. The detainees were sent to El Salvador's
Terrorism Confinement Center under an agreement with President
Nayib Bukele. The move sparked criticism from rights groups and Venezuela, which accused the U.S. of criminalizing migration; the Biden administration had avoided mass deportations. In July 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, Trump secured the release of Dahud Hanid Ortíz, who was convicted of triple homicide for killing three people at a law firm in Spain in connection with a marital dispute.
Marco Rubio stated that Ortíz and nine other convicts were "wrongfully detained".
Cartel of the Suns On 25 July 2025, the
U.S. Department of the Treasury designated the Cartel of the Suns as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, citing Maduro's alleged leadership role within the cartel. On 7 August 2025,
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro—an increase from the previous $25 million due to the United States accusal of Maduro aiding drug cartels and street gangs and operating a corrupt and repressive regime.
2025 tension and military deployment Boat strikes Escalation In January 2025, the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on eight Venezuelan economic and security officials for their role in the "suppression and subversion of democracy" led by
Nicolas Maduro. Concurrently, the reward for the capture of Maduro and his ministers was increased to $25 million, and visa restrictions were implemented for his supporters. In August 2025, Venezuelan Minister of Labor
Eduardo Piñate warned of "imperialist threats" against the country, stating that "if imperialism attacks us, the working class will stand in defense of the nation". His remarks reflected the government's broader narrative portraying external hostility—particularly from the United States—as a persistent challenge to Venezuela's sovereignty. In September, Venezuela's Attorney General
Tarek William Saab called on the United Nations to investigate the strikes, describing them as "crimes against humanity", as UN officials and international law experts stated the attacks were a violation of US and international law and amount to extrajudicial executions. Maduro mobilized a militia and a military deployment within Venezuelan territory as a defense against a possible attack, and called the US actions a threat to his country's sovereignty, stating that, in the event of any attack, "the republic will declare war". He responded firmly to military threats, declaring that no threat—even one involving a thousand missiles—would compel Venezuela to back down. In November 2025, Donald Trump said the likelihood of a US war with Venezuela was low, but that the days of Maduro's presidency were numbered; asked whether the US was planning a ground attack, Trump did not rule out the possibility; he said on 16 November that although the
Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of
Cartel of the Suns would allow it, the decision to conduct land strikes had not been made. Anonymous sources told
The New York Times a phone call between Trump and Maduro occurred later in November. Unnamed sources told the
Miami Herald that Trump had offered
safe passage for Maduro and his immediate family, but the discussion stalled because Maduro would not agree to leave quickly, wanted "global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed", and wanted to retain control over Venezuela's military. Maduro rejected the offer, "demanding a 'global amnesty' for himself and allies" according to
The Guardian, and stated that Venezuela doesn't want "a slave's peace". In December 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on ten Iranian and Venezuelan individuals and entities for allegedly trading drones with Iran.
Seizure of oil tankers In December 2025, U.S. forces seized the oil tanker
Skipper in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. The vessel, which was carrying Venezuelan crude, had been subject to long-standing sanctions. According to officials, the tanker was allegedly part of a network transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, with suspected ties to foreign terrorist organizations.
2026 capital strikes and capture of Nicolas Maduro == Acting presidency of Delcy Rodríguez ==