CaliToday (19/11/2025): The fate of Venezuela's regime rests squarely on the shoulders of Nicolás Maduro, as the United States intensifies both military and diplomatic pressure, according to insights from Tony Shaffer, President of the London Center for Policy Research, and Brent Sadler, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Appearing on Newsmax's Wake Up America Early, both experts agreed that while Washington is fully prepared for potential military action, a final diplomatic window remains open—if Maduro chooses to seize it before the opportunity vanishes.
The "You Choose" Strategy
President Trump recently indicated that the United States is open to "discussing" the situation with the Maduro regime, even as US forces conduct airstrikes targeting suspected drug-running vessels off the coast of the Caribbean.
According to Tony Shaffer, a former Army Lieutenant Colonel, the U.S. stance is crystal clear: President Trump has put the decision entirely in Maduro’s hands, because "what happens next will be entirely of his choosing." Shaffer affirmed that offensive options are no longer hypothetical, stating that the U.S. military is "fully ready" to strike when ordered by the President.
The USS Gerald R. Ford: A Non-Invasion Message
The conspicuous presence of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group operating near Venezuela serves as the clearest physical demonstration of U.S. resolve.
Shaffer emphasized that this deployment is not a Panama-style invasion but is designed to deliver a precise message directly to Maduro’s apparatus of power. The overwhelming presence of the Ford alongside cruise ships in the Caribbean is a public and unmistakable warning that the U.S. has moved beyond rhetoric and deployed actual power.
A Short Leash for Diplomacy
Brent Sadler concurred that Maduro has a very brief window left to make a choice. He argued that the military readiness of the U.S. is precisely what opens this final diplomatic door. Maduro still has a chance for a "safe exit," allowing him to leave the country and permit a new government to take over one that can cooperate with the U.S. and better serve the Venezuelan people.
Sadler warned grimly that "Maduro has very few choices left," and time is rapidly running out.
As the United States, under President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, continues its aggressive campaign to disrupt transnational drug trafficking networks, all signals point to Washington being prepared to act if Maduro remains defiant. The region is now watching closely to see if the Venezuelan dictator chooses the path of negotiation or forces the U.S. to deliver targeted strikes aimed at dismantling his oppressive apparatus.