President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has not ruled out deploying U.S. forces on the ground in Venezuela, while remaining open to hearing directly from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro about proposals to avoid further U.S. military escalation.
Asked if he would rule out sending troops, Trump replied, “No, I don’t rule out that, I don’t rule out anything.” He also indicated a willingness to speak with Maduro, saying, “I probably would talk to him, yeah. I talk to everybody.”
The U.S. has carried out a series of strikes targeting suspected drug trafficking boats off Venezuela’s coast and elsewhere in Latin America. Maduro has repeatedly claimed the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean is intended to oust him from power.
Trump also expressed a desire to target cocaine production in Colombia, though he stopped short of announcing any direct military action there. A senior White House official noted that while the president is open to dialogue with Venezuela, his military options remain on the table. The official added that Venezuela’s resource wealth could benefit U.S. firms, though stopping drug trafficking remains the priority.
On Sunday, the Trump administration designated the Cartel de los Soles, allegedly composed of high-ranking Venezuelan officials including Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization. Critics have questioned the extent of the cartel’s formal hierarchy.
The Pentagon has deployed significant military assets to the Caribbean, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford with 5,000 personnel and dozens of warplanes, alongside eight additional warships, a nuclear submarine, and F-35 aircraft. To date, U.S. operations have focused on targeting boats suspected of drug trafficking from Venezuela and neighboring countries. Human rights groups have condemned the strikes as extrajudicial killings, while the White House maintains they are part of an armed campaign against drug cartels.
