On September 26, 2018, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro approached the lectern of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Mature, portly and mustachioed, dressed in a black suit and a bright red tie, he was in a bilious mood.
At home, Maduro’s political position was deteriorating. The former bus driver turned autocrat had ruled Venezuela for five years and had recently “won” re-election in a race widely considered fraudulent. But he faced a harsher reaction than expected. Anti-government protests were rocking the oil-rich South American nation. Hyperinflation was destroying their economy. More than a million Venezuelans had fled, sparking a hemispheric refugee crisis.
For some time, the Trump administration had been working furiously to oust Maduro, an ally of Cuba and Russia, from power. In fact, then-President Donald Trump had even publicly reflected on the possibility of exercising “a possible military option, if necessary,” to deal with Venezuela. The day before Maduro’s speech at the General Assembly, Trump took the same UN podium, called the situation in Venezuela a “human tragedy” and denounced the “suffering, corruption and decay” caused by the communist regimes and socialists. The US president then announced the imposition of new sanctions against members of Maduro’s inner circle.
When Maduro began his speech to the UN, he was eager to hit back. His country was “a victim of permanent aggression” by the “imperial” United States, he said. Venezuela’s attempt to achieve geopolitical independence – and its enormous reserves of gold and oil – had aroused the anger and greed of the “oligarchies of the continent and those who dominate from Washington,” he added.
Maduro’s speech became darker. He claimed that a recent attempt on his life (two drones had exploded during a speech he was giving outdoors in Caracas) had been planned by shadowy actors in the United States. (Trump administration officials publicly denied any involvement in the drone attack, and a dissident member of the Venezuelan military later claimed responsibility.) In recent days, Maduro had even said he was considering skipping the UN meeting entirely, because he was worried about an assassination attempt. .
As bitter adversaries, the Trump administration and the Maduro regime did not agree on, well, anything. Except for the fact that the US government wanted Maduro gone.
Following that UN meeting, the Trump administration stepped up efforts around the world to isolate and depose the Venezuelan leader, including imposing additional sanctions against his regime. Much of these diplomatic maneuvers took place in public. But the administration also launched another, highly secretive prong of the U.S. regime change campaign: a covert CIA-led initiative to help overthrow the Venezuelan strongman.