Maduro sings John Lennon’s Imagine as Trump’s warships gather

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks during a march to swear in the Bolivarian Integral Base Committees in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo / Getty Images

Venezuela’s President sang part of John Lennon’s Imagine during a political rally, as US President Donald Trump continued to mass military firepower within striking distance of the country.

Nicolás Maduro took to a stage in Caracas as American pressure against him mounted, and urged followers “to do everything for peace, as John Lennon used to say”. The left-wing authoritarian leader then sang “imagine all the people”, accompanied by chords from the 1971 hit. Attendees waved their arms, and Maduro replicated the symbol of peace with both hands.

The 62-year-old described the song as “an anthem for all eras and generations” and asked young people to study its lyrics. He said Lennon’s message was “an inspiration for all times” and called him “a gift for humanity”.

Washington has been building a significant military force in the Caribbean, after already blowing up 20 boats that it says were ferrying drugs.

Relations between Maduro and Trump have deteriorated sharply since the US President’s second term began, driven by American accusations that the Venezuelan Government is complicit in drugs being trafficked into the United States. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon chief, said last week a new mission codenamed Operation Southern Spear, would remove “narco terrorists from our hemisphere”.

A carrier group led by the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R Ford bearing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter planes is due to arrive in the region imminently.

Venezuela fears the anti-drug campaign is a pretext for regime change.

Carlos Gimenez, a Republican congressman from Florida, meanwhile, claimed Maduro’s Government may be planning to destroy parts of its own infrastructure to blame America, or the opposition. “We are tracking reports that the Maduro narco regime may be preparing to sabotage key Venezuelan infrastructure, including major bridges, tunnels and refineries, and later blame the United States or the democratic opposition.

“While unverified, these claims match the desperate tactics of a collapsing dictatorship. The United States will continue to stand firmly with the Venezuelan people against tyranny, corruption and any attempt by the regime to manufacture chaos or manipulate the truth for political survival.”

‘Focus is purely on drug trade’

The White House has given no clear signals about its military intentions, but Trump said at the weekend he had “sort of” decided a plan. He told reporters: “I sort of have made up my mind – yeah. I mean, I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of have.”

Trump and his top team have been briefed on options for potential strikes on land targets, including on Maduro’s own protection team or inner circle, as well as to seize the country’s oil fields. However, privately aides have said the US President is wary of anything that could turn into an embarrassing failure or put American troops at risk.

A sustained military campaign risks angering much of Trump’s political base, which is opposed to America being drawn into costly foreign entanglements such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A senior European official told the New York Times that US officials had insisted to diplomatic allies that the deployment was only designed to raise the temperature to see how Maduro would react.

Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, has said any military operation would be focused purely on the drug trade. In private meetings last week with House and Senate leaders, he reportedly said the Government had no ambition for regime change.

Trump has also reportedly asked about Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Venezuelan officials hoping to avert a clash this year offered the Trump administration a dominant stake in the country’s oil and other mineral wealth. The offer was discussed for months, but fell through last month.

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