United States–Venezuela relations

The diplomatic relationship between the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were strained during parts of the 21st century.

Relations were strong during the second half of the 20th century. This changed in 1999 when Hugo Chávez took office as president of Venezuela. Years later, Chávez declared himself socialist and anti-imperialist, in reference to being against the government of the United States. Tensions between the countries increased further after Venezuela accused the George W. Bush administration of supporting the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt against Chávez, an accusation that was partly retracted later. Relations were further strained when Venezuela expelled the U.S. ambassador in September 2008 in solidarity with Bolivia after a U.S. ambassador was accused of cooperating with violent anti-government groups in the country. Though relations thawed somewhat under President Barack Obama in 2009, they steadily deteriorated once again shortly afterwards. In February 2014, the Venezuelan government ordered three American diplomats out of the country on unproved accusations of promoting violence.

During the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, Nicolás Maduro announced that Venezuela was breaking ties with the United States, following President Donald Trump's announcement that the U.S. recognized Juan Guaidó, the president of the National Assembly, as interim president. Although the United States stopped recognizing Guaidó's presidential claim when the opposition National Assembly's vote to dissolve Guaidó's interim government took effect in 2023, the U.S. continued to recognize the National Assembly elected in the 2015 parliamentary election.

In 2025, during the second Trump administration, the United States sent Venezuelans accused of being members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), a maximum security prison in El Salvador. That same year, the US government designated gangs such as Tren de Aragua, along with the Cartel of the Suns, as terrorist organizations. In September 2025, the United States started to carry out airstrikes against alleged drug boats as part of a military buildup in the Caribbean Sea. In January 2026, the U.S. conducted a military operation, capturing Maduro and his wife and transferring them to New York. After the ouster of Maduro, the United States and Venezuela have begun taking the first steps towards restoring relations.