As Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro lashes out at interference, Trump has also intervened in domestic affairs of other countries including Brazil, Argentina, India and Israel.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US government of “fabricating a new eternal war” against him, as the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford inches towards the Venezuelan coast.

The US deployment of the carrier – the world’s largest warship – follows 11 US strikes on boats in Venezuelan waters, which the US claims are trafficking drugs and are linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.

On Tuesday, Venezuela suspended a major gas deal with neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, citing the island nation’s reception of the USS Gravely, another US warship.

So far, the US has not produced any evidence that the Venezuelan boats it has targeted were carrying drugs, and Maduro denies it. “Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves,” he said last week. Furthermore, experts say that most drugs are smuggled into the US via the Mexican land border – by US citizens.

Speculation that Trump is actually angling for regime change in Venezuela is mounting, but it is not the only country whose domestic affairs or relations with other countries Trump seems determined to interfere in. The US president has also made comments about, or direct moves towards, the internal affairs of Brazil, India, Israel and Argentina, among others.

What is the US doing in the Caribbean and why?

The US has built up a huge military presence, including nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and elite special operations forces, in the Caribbean. It says this is necessary for its security – and to prevent an “invasion” by Venezuelan drug gangs.

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Trump has said he is considering land attacks and has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela.

Since September 2, US forces have struck 11 boats, with eight of the attacks occurring in the Caribbean, claiming that they are trafficking drugs t