Trump open to Venezuela talks but stresses no military strikes planned
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President Donald Trump said Sunday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro wants to meet with the United States as tensions rise between the countries, but stressed that he is not planning or authorizing any ground military strikes against the South American country.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Trump said a recent U.S. designation of a Venezuela-linked cartel gives the government authority to target Maduro’s assets or infrastructure. He added that such actions were possible but no decision had been made.
“It allows us to do this,” Trump said. “But we haven’t said we’re going to do that. We may be having some talks with Maduro and we’ll see how that plays out. They want to talk.”
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Donald Trump as he holds the note Rubio gave him during a roundtable on Antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House on October 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The president emphasized that his administration has kept Congress informed of ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking through Venezuela and Mexico but does not need approval from lawmakers to take action. He said communication with Congress was to inform them, not to ask for permission.
Trump added that he told Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials to meet with lawmakers and convey that the United States will not allow the flow of narcotics from either country.
“We want to keep Congress involved,” he said. “So we are preventing drug dealers and drugs from entering our country.”
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump warned members of Congress not to leak sensitive details about US operations that could endanger military or intelligence personnel. Trump has said he supports transparency but acknowledged that sharing classified information could put American lives at risk.
“The only thing I don’t want them to do is leak information that is very important and confidential,” he said. “And they’re putting our military at risk, or whoever’s doing it, the CIA, the military, etc.”
Trump described the campaign as part of a broader fight against narcotics and illegal immigration, saying many countries support U.S. efforts to pressure Venezuela. He accused the Maduro regime of releasing violent prisoners into the United States and said his administration removed those prisoners.
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U.S. Southern Command released footage of a precision attack by U.S. forces on a narcotics ship operated by a designated terrorist organization in the Eastern Pacific on November 15. (US Southern Command)
“Yes, we have great support because it’s all about drugs,” he said. “In Venezuela’s case, it’s about drugs, but it’s also about the thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who are being released into our country.”
He said the Biden administration bears responsibility for what he called the historic border crisis, pointing to the influx of immigrants and criminals that entered the previous administration.
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“Our country is doing very well,” Trump said. “But what the Biden administration has done to our country should never be forgotten.”
“The worst thing they’ve done is allow 20-25 million people to flood into our country,” he continued. “The people in prisons, the drug dealers, the mental institutions, the bad people, the gang members; those who allowed this to happen to the United States, completely uncontrolled and unexamined, should never be forgotten.”
