President Trump said in a new interview that he does not think the United States is going to go to war against Venezuela increasing tension between the two countries, however, he suggested that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s days were numbered.
In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, Trump was asked about the administration’s recent actions to attack alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and to ground an aircraft carrier in the area.
“Are we going to war against Venezuela?” anchor Norah O’Donnell asked.
Trump said, “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’re treating us very badly, not just on drugs – they’ve dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country that we didn’t want, people from prisons – they’ve emptied their prisons into our country.”
Asked whether his actions toward Venezuela were about drug interdiction or getting rid of Maduro, Trump said it was about “a lot of things.” Asked whether Maduro’s days as president were numbered, Trump responded, “I would say yes. I think so, yes.”
Pentagon last week said it was sending The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its Carrier Air Wing for the Caribbean. At the same time, the Trump administration carried out attacks against boats It says they are smuggling illegal drugs into the region, killing dozens of people in the process.
Also last week, two B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and flew near the Venezuelan coast, according to flight tracking data. Trump called news reports about the presence of B-1 bombers “false”, but added “We’re not happy with Venezuela for a number of reasons. Drugs is one of them.”
Trump has pushed back On reports that he is considering attacks on military facilities inside Venezuela, however, he has also said that he would not reveal such a decision to the press prematurely.
