Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez reiterated the claim that the Venezuelan regime is close to falling after the latest U.S. strike against an alleged drug-trafficking vessel off the coast of the South American country.
“The regime has little time left. The signals are clear,” said Gimenez in a social media publication.
Al régimen le queda poco.
Las señales son muy claras.
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) October 14, 2025
The lawmaker conveyed the message minutes after President Donald Trump announced a fifth strike against the vessel off the Venezuelan coast, a new escalation as it seeks to pressure the Maduro regime further. The attack killed six people, according to Trump.
In a social media post on his platform, Truth Social, Trump said he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to order a “lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility — just off the Coast of Venezuela.”
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route. The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. Forces were harmed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!” the publication adds.
Despite the escalation, Venezuelan insiders have claimed that Maduro won’t relinquish power voluntarily despite increased pressure.
Speaking to Spanish outlet El Pais, one people with knowledge of the regime’s thinking said “Maduro is not going anywhere.” “Maduro has practically no other fate than resisting whatever comes and waiting for Trump to hesitate,” the person added.
Trump has anticipated the possibility of escalating the situation further with strikes inside Venezuela territory. However, the report added, the South American country’s leaders (Delcy and Jorge Rodriguez, Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino Lopez), along with Maduro, have “developed their survival instincts to the fullest after more than six years of governing in extreme situations,” and think “this storm shall pass too.”
Concretely, they believe that the cost of an armed clash would be too high for the U.S. and Trump will back down before getting to that point.
Originally published on Latin Times
