President Trump stated in a phone interview that he does not rule out the possibility of going to war against Venezuela.
“I don’t rule it out, no,” Trump said.
On Tuesday, the administration ordered a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and exiting Venezuela, increasing pressure on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. had recently seized an oil tanker captured near Venezuela.
The campaign has already resulted in 28 boat strikes that have killed more than 100 people, including a “double tap” strike under congressional scrutiny.
During the interview, Trump said he does not discuss whether such actions could lead to war. But when pressed, he confirmed it was a possibility and stated there would be additional seizures of oil tankers. When asked for a timeline, Trump replied: “It depends. If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbors.”
Trump also declined to specify whether ousting Maduro was his ultimate goal.
Earlier this week, Trump declared that Venezuela is “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
“Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY,” he added.
Trump said Maduro “knows exactly what I want” and “knows better than anybody.”
In a separate interview last week, the president noted that Maduro’s “days are numbered” but stated he would not confirm whether American troops could enter Venezuela.
A Quinnipiac poll released this week showed 63 percent of Americans oppose military action inside Venezuela and 53 percent disapprove of the administration’s strategy of using military strikes to target suspected drug traffickers on boats.