Aboard Air Force One on Friday, President Donald Trump dismissed reports that he is considering ordering military strikes against Venezuela, clarifying that “No, it’s not true,” when asked about alleged plans for air attacks on targets linked to the country’s embattled socialist regime.
The president’s remarks came two weeks after he suggested that ground strikes were under review. “We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea under control,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting on October 15, signaling that all options remained on the table as his administration worked to dismantle Venezuela’s powerful drug-trafficking networks.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that U.S. military planners had identified possible targets inside Venezuela, including military facilities allegedly used to smuggle narcotics. According to the report, if Trump were to authorize such a strike, it would be designed to send a message to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that his time in power is running out.
Administration officials have not confirmed those details, but the White House has made no secret of its increasing focus on the Venezuelan regime, which the president and his national security team have accused of running a state-sponsored narco-terrorist operation.
Over the past several weeks, the Trump administration has intensified efforts to isolate Maduro, deploying additional U.S. forces to the Caribbean and ramping up operations against suspected drug-running vessels in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. The president has long vowed to confront what he calls “criminal socialism” in the Western Hemisphere, insisting that the U.S. must defend its borders and allies from the destabilizing influence of transnational cartels and authoritarian regimes.
In recent days, the Pentagon has moved to bolster its presence in the region. The deployment includes the USS Gerald R. Ford — the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier — and a strike group of warships that will join eight other U.S. vessels already patrolling the area. The task force will operate alongside a squadron of F-35B jets based in Puerto Rico, special operations teams, and other assets positioned to support maritime interdiction and regional security.
The Ford remained in the Mediterranean as of Thursday, but U.S. defense officials said its movement toward the Caribbean was part of a long-term strategic build-up.
In Washington, the administration’s recent military actions have drawn bipartisan scrutiny. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, and Ranking Member Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, said Friday that they have twice written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding documents related to the strikes against suspected drug boats — including the legal justifications, execute orders, and lists of designated terrorist organizations tied to the operations.
The senators, citing statutory oversight provisions in multiple National Defense Authorization Acts, noted that the Pentagon has yet to provide the requested information.
Senate Democrats have also voiced frustration over what they described as selective briefings. Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, criticized the administration for reportedly limiting updates to Republicans, calling the practice a violation of congressional oversight. “It’s not optional. It’s our freaking duty,” Warner said Thursday, adding that the administration’s explanation was “bulls—.”
While President Trump has walked back suggestions of an imminent strike, his administration’s strategy remains clear: tighten the military and diplomatic pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime until Venezuela’s leadership — long accused of corruption, repression, and ties to narcotics networks — yields to reform. For Trump, Venezuela’s collapse under socialism is not just a regional concern but a test of American resolve against authoritarianism in its own hemisphere.
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