President Donald Trump stated he doubted the U.S. would engage in war with Venezuela but indicated that Nicolás Maduro's presidency might be ending. His comments occurred as the U.S. conducts strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, operations the administration links to curbing drug flow. Trump denied these actions were solely aimed at removing Maduro.
President Trump's Statements
Donald Trump told CBS' 60 Minutes that he doubted the U.S. would engage in war with Venezuela, adding that "they've been treating us very badly." He also suggested that Nicolás Maduro's time as Venezuela's president was limited.
Trump rejected suggestions that current U.S. actions were intended solely to oust Maduro, a long-time Trump opponent, stating the operations were about "many things." Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Trump commented on the sinking of boats, stating: "Every single boat that you see that's shot down kills 25,000 on drugs and destroys families all over our country."
US Operations and Reported Casualties
The U.S. is continuing to launch strikes on what are described as drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. The Trump administration has stated these strikes are necessary to reduce the flow of drugs into the U.S.
CBS News, a partner of BBC's US News, reported that at least 64 people have been killed by U.S. strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since early September.
Future Military Actions
When questioned about the possibility of U.S. strikes on land in Venezuela, Trump did not rule it out. He stated, "I wouldn't be inclined to say that I would do that... I'm not gonna tell you what I'm gonna do with Venezuela, if I was gonna do it or if I wasn't going to do it."