Former US President Donald Trump on Sunday delivered mixed messages about potential American military intervention in Venezuela — downplaying the likelihood of war while insisting that President Nicolás Maduro’s rule may soon end.
In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes”, Trump said, “I doubt it. I don’t think so,” when asked if the United States was preparing to go to war with Venezuela. However, pressed on whether Maduro’s days in power were numbered, he responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.”
The remarks came amid reports that the United States has deployed military assets in the Caribbean and carried out multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Maduro, who faces drug-trafficking charges in the US, accused Washington of using narcotics enforcement as a cover for an attempted regime change to seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
According to regional officials, more than 15 US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific have killed at least 65 people since early September, the most recent occurring on Saturday. The operations have drawn criticism from several Latin American governments.
Analysts have described the attacks as extrajudicial killings, arguing that even if the targets were suspected traffickers, the US has yet to release evidence proving they were smuggling narcotics or posed any direct threat to American security.
