Pete Hegseth is calling for a regime change in Venezuela

Multiple independent sources from early September 2025 report that Pete Hegseth, serving as U.S. Secretary of Defense, has indicated readiness for a regime change in Venezuela. He has not explicitly called for regime change as a policy himself but has stated that the U.S. Military is prepared to carry out such an operation if the president decides to authorize it.

Conversely, President Donald Trump publicly downplayed any talk of regime change in Venezuela, as reported by Reuters, Newcastle Herald, and TIME.newcastleherald.com.aunewcastleherald.com.auTrump plays down possible regime change in Venezuelareuters.comreuters.comTrump plays down possible regime change in Venezuela; US deploys stealth fighter...+2 more Trump stated the U.S. Was not discussing regime change despite military deployments in the region.

This creates a nuanced picture: Hegseth acknowledges military preparedness for regime change but defers the decision to the president, who publicly denies pursuing such a policy. Therefore, while Hegseth is not explicitly "calling for" regime change as an independent policy stance, he is signaling readiness and does not rule it out.

In summary, the claim that "Pete Hegseth is calling for a regime change in Venezuela" is mostly true in the sense that he supports readiness and does not exclude it as an option, but it overstates his position if interpreted as him independently advocating or initiating such a call without presidential approval.