Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the Venezuelan government is “illegitimate.” 

“Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government,” Rubio wrote on X. “Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country.  And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.”

Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government. Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 27, 2025

Last year, Maduro won reelection in Venezuela’s presidential elections. The Joe Biden administration responded by asserting the election was stolen by Maduro and insisting that Edmundo González was the rightful president. 

The Biden State Department used analysis from the Carter Center as the basis for its election rigging claim. While then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted the Carter Center is “independent,” the organization is funded by the State Department. 

It was unclear whether President Donald Trump would continue the regime change effort in Caracas. In the first days of his second administration, Trump’s crisis Envoy, Richard Grenell, traveled to Caracas, met with Maduro, and returned with six Americans who were imprisoned in Venezuela.

Soon after, the White House adopted a more aggressive policy. Rubio seized a plane owned by the Venezuelan government in February. Later that month, Trump announced the US would step up the economic war on the South American nation. 

Rubio, who is also serving as Trump’s National Security Adviser, is a long-time advocate of more American intervention in Latin America. 

Trump attempted to overthrow Maduro during his first term. Then, he backed Juan Guaido’s claim that he was the rightful president of Venezuela. Trump also used “maximum pressure” sanctions in an effort to weaken the Venezuelan economy and Maduro’s hold on power. 

However, Guaido never gained any popular support and the Biden administration eventually abandoned him in favor of González.