President Donald Trump has downplayed fears of an imminent U.S. war with Venezuela, even as he warned that President Nicolás Maduro’s days in power are “numbered.”
In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” aired on Sunday, Trump said he did not expect the U.S. to go to war with the South American nation.
“I doubt it. I don’t think so,” he said when asked if Washington was preparing military action against Venezuela.
However, pressed on whether Maduro would remain in office much longer, Trump replied, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.”
The remarks came as U.S. forces continue to build up their presence in the Caribbean, following a wave of air and naval strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels in recent weeks that have left at least 65 people dead, according to regional reports.
The most recent strike occurred Saturday, fueling criticism from Latin American governments and human rights advocates who accused Washington of carrying out extrajudicial killings, even if the targets were suspected traffickers.
Maduro, who faces U.S. drug-trafficking indictments, has accused the Trump administration of using counter-narcotics operations as a cover for regime change and a bid to seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
The U.S. has not yet released a formal statement on the extent or objectives of the ongoing military operations.
