President Donald Trump has downplayed the likelihood of a U.S. military conflict with Venezuela, while also strongly suggesting that Nicolás Maduro’s time as the country’s leader is coming to a close. In an interview, Trump stated, “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly.” This comes as the U.S. has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean, deploying a substantial force of warships, aircraft, and personnel, marking the largest deployment in decades. These actions follow ongoing U.S. strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the region, which the administration claims are crucial for combating drug trafficking into the United States.
Trump addressed speculation that the U.S. operations are aimed at removing Maduro, a vocal opponent of the president, asserting that the motivations are multifaceted. He highlighted that the U.S. strikes have resulted in casualties and that drug-related issues continue to plague families across the nation. When questioned about potential land-based operations in Venezuela, Trump remained non-committal, stating, “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.”
The president also touched upon other pressing domestic issues, including the prolonged government shutdown, which he attributed to Democrats, whom he described as “crazed lunatics.” He expressed confidence that they would eventually yield and vote to end the shutdown.
This interview marked Trump’s first with CBS since he pursued legal action against the network’s parent company over a previous interview involving Vice President Kamala Harris, which he alleged was edited to favor the Democratic Party. Paramount settled the lawsuit, allocating the funds to Trump’s presidential library rather than directly to him.