President Trump warned in a new interview that Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered” and refused to rule out sending US ground troops to depose the left-wing leader.
The president stressed in the sitdown with Politico released Tuesday that Maduro could not be allowed to stay in power as the administration cracks down on South American drug trafficking, but declined to tip his hand about what the US could or would do to cause regime change.
When reporter and “The Conversation” podcast host Dasha Burns asked how far Trump was willing to go to oust Maduro, the president merely responded, “I don’t want to say that.”
“But you want to see him out?” Burns followed up.
“His days are numbered,” Trump affirmed.
Trump blamed the Caracas regime for sending “drug dealers” into the US, including members of the notorious gang Tren de Aragua.
“I want the people of Venezuela to be treated well,” he told Burns. “I want the people of Venezuela, many of whom live in the United States, to be respected. I mean, they were tremendous to me. They voted for me 94% or something … I got to know the people well. They’re incredible people. And they were treated horribly by Maduro.”
Since Sept. 2, the US military has carried out more than 20 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing more than 80 people.
When asked by Burns if he could rule out a ground invasion of Venezuela to overthrow Maduro, Trump answered: “I don’t want to rule in or out.”
“I don’t talk about it,” he added, later telling Burns that “I don’t want to talk to you about military strategy.”
Trump did, however, tell Politico that airstrikes targeting Venezuelan territory would happen “very soon.”
The US has already begun building up an amphibious force in the area around Venezuela, with Maduro responding by mobilizing his army and preparing for a guerilla-style counterattack if land incursions or airstrikes occur.
During the interview, Trump also suggested that he was open to launching the same type of strikes against targets inside Mexico and Colombia, both of which traffic more fentanyl into the US than cartels from Caracas.
While the White House blames Venezuelan gangs for trafficking illegal opiates and cocaine to the US, a 2019 DEA report found that most fentanyl — the leading source of American overdose deaths — comes from Mexico, through precursor ingredients shipped from China.
