JUST IN: War With Venezuela Remains “Possible,” Trump Says

President Donald Trump said he has not ruled out military action against Venezuela, even as polling shows most Americans oppose a war with the South American nation ruled by longtime strongman Nicolas Maduro.

Trump made the remarks in a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, declining to spell out specific objectives but signaling that Maduro is well aware of U.S. demands.

“He knows exactly what I want,” Trump told NBC News. “He knows better than anybody.”

The comments come as the administration ramps up pressure on Caracas. On Tuesday, Trump announced a blockade of Venezuela on Truth Social and said the U.S. is moving to classify Maduro’s government as a foreign terrorist organization. Earlier this month, U.S. officials seized a Venezuelan oil tanker accused of illegally transporting oil.

“The largest one ever seized actually,” Trump said at the time.

In late November, Trump also ordered the closure of Venezuelan airspace as the U.S. increased its military presence in the region.

Asked directly whether full-scale war remains on the table, Trump did not back away.

“I don’t rule it out, no,” he said.

Trump echoed that position in a recent interview with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns, saying Maduro’s “days are numbered.” Pressed on whether U.S. troops could be deployed on the ground in Venezuela, Trump replied, “I wouldn’t say that one way or the other.”

Public opinion, however, remains skeptical of military involvement. A Quinnipiac poll released this week found 63 percent of Americans oppose military action inside Venezuela. The same survey showed 53 percent disapprove of the administration’s use of military strikes targeting suspected drug traffickers operating on boats linked to Venezuela.

Despite the opposition, Donald Trump has argued that aggressive measures are necessary to confront drug trafficking, regional instability and what he has described as a growing security threat emanating from Maduro’s regime.

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