Senior Trump administration officials have intensified their push to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power and are discussing steps to escalate the military pressure, The New York Times reported on Monday. Other top officials on board for regime change in Venezuela include CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Stephen Miller, Trump’s chief domestic policy advisor. During the first Trump administration, the US backed a failed coup attempt against Maduro led by opposition figure Juan Guaido. 2025 (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)Other Trump officials, most notably special envoy Ric Grennel, are pushing for diplomacy with Venezuela, and Maduro has sent a letter to Trump seeking talks, although it was dismissed by the White House. Maduro and other Venezuelan officials have pointed to data that shows the majority of the cocaine that is produced in Colombia doesn’t go through Venezuela.