On Monday, President Trump posted a troubling video showing civilians in Caracas being instructed on how to run with large assault rifles during a militia training exercise. This comes as new polls reveal that a majority of Venezuelans back Trump’s efforts to confront dictator Nicolás Maduro.
“TOP SECRET: We caught the Venezuelan militia training. A very serious threat!” Trump shared on Truth Social, posting a clip that purportedly showcases the militia’s training efforts.
It’s uncertain if the president was being ironic or truly alarmed by the mass training of armed civilians. The footage appeared chaotic, with loud shouting, highlighting an overweight woman running with an AK-style firearm.
Over the weekend, Caracas assembled thousands of citizens for a day of instruction on weapon handling and other “revolutionary resistance” tactics, a reaction to Trump’s recent deployment of naval ships near Venezuela’s shores, as reported by AFP.
In another clip from the civilian training, ordinary Venezuelans are witnessed handling firearms under the guidance of uniformed soldiers, who direct participants to “aim at Trump.”
The naval ships, which were first deployed about a month ago, are complemented by the presence of F-35 fighter jets stationed in Puerto Rico. Their stated mission is to counteract Venezuela’s drug trafficking operations, with the Navy reportedly having eliminated 14 narcoterrorists in at least two separate strikes on Venezuelan drug boats since September 2.
Maduro has accused Trump of attempting to orchestrate regime change in Venezuela through increased military pressure, a claim that the U.S. leader has denied.
The U.S. does not recognize Maduro’s government as legitimate and has offered a $50 million bounty for his capture due to drug charges pending against him in New York.
The majority of Venezuelans believe that Maduro’s election was illegitimate, claiming he stole the last two elections, particularly the most recent one in July 2024, as indicated by a survey from the global strategic advisory firm Panterra, exclusively shared with The Post.
According to Panterra, “70% of Venezuelans who do not align ideologically with Maduro’s government harbor both hope for the future and fear of political repression.” Furthermore, over half of those surveyed believe that Maduro will be ousted within the next six months, with 36% of respondents expecting his removal in less than three months.
The survey, conducted from August 21-31, included 1,200 participants across Venezuela, revealing the starkly low approval ratings Trump receives among Maduro supporters. Only six percent of Maduro’s supporters hold favorable views of the U.S., and a mere four percent view Trump positively, as per the survey’s results.
On the other hand, opposition to Maduro is met with far more favorable opinions; 55% of those against Maduro view the U.S. positively, with 44% expressing favorable opinions about Trump.
The survey further revealed that 80% of Venezuelans opposed to Maduro believe that their family members who have immigrated to the U.S. may consider returning to Venezuela if regime change occurs.
Panterra stated, “Should the U.S. support regime change, those opposed to Maduro believe that Venezuelans abroad would come back and that a democratic Venezuela would provide the U.S. with a strong ally in Latin America.”
