White House proposed $50M reward leaflet drop over Venezuela capital to ramp up pressure on Maduro regime
The White House proposed having U.S. military planes drop leaflets over Venezuela’s capital in an operation aimed at intensifying pressure on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, according to a report.
In what could soon be the latest U.S. escalation against Venezuela, the reported plan entails planes dispersing leaflets in Caracas that contain details about the $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction, sources told the Washington Post.
The psychological operation, which has not yet been authorized, could take place as soon as Sunday to coincide with Maduro’s 63rd birthday, the paper reported.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
Maduro has been in power since 2013, following the death of Hugo Chavez; more than 50 countries, including the U.S., have refused to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s head of state, claiming he lost the 2024 presidential election.
The State Department in 2020 offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction related to his indictment on narcoterrorism charges. The Biden administration raised that reward to $25 million in January 2025; in August, the Trump administration doubled that amount.
Reuters also reported that the U.S. was planning to launch “covert operations” related to Venezuela. A senior administration official told the outlet: “President Trump is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”
For months, Trump has been ramping up a pressure campaign against Maduro.
Since early September, the U.S. has been launching strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing at least 80 people. The strikes are meant to target what administration officials say are “narco-terrorists.”
The United States also sent its most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Caribbean Sea earlier this month.
As the aircraft carrier headed toward the waters off Venezuela earlier this month, Maduro said, “No more forever wars. No more unjust wars. No more Libya. No more Afghanistan. Long live peace.”
The military buildup in the region also consists of at least eight other warships and F-35 aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice Friday to airlines warning of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela amid the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.”
The latest reported escalation comes as the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which Trump alleges are fueled by Maduro’s government.
At an October roundtable, when asked why he didn’t seek a declaration of war from Congress and insisted he had the authority to carry out such strikes.
“I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We’re going to kill them,” the U.S. president said.
Legal experts and former national security officials have disputed the president’s claim that he has legal authority to launch extrajudicial killings against the alleged drug traffickers. Bipartisan members of Congress have also shared their concerns.
“If we’re going to go to war with Venezuela, the president needs to make his case, and they’ve done zero on this,” Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon told CNN last week. “If he wants to continue the operations on these boats, he should get authorization.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who serves on both the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, said at a press conference this week: “The last time we received a briefing on Venezuela with the full committee was never. “That is something that should alarm everybody.”
