U.S. President Donald Trump has categorically denied authorizing any military strikes against Venezuela, dismissing reports suggesting imminent action. The White House reinforced this stance, calling the claims ‘false and misleading’ and reiterating that only the President would make official announcements concerning military operations. Responding to direct questions, Trump stated ‘no’ when asked if he had approved strikes in Venezuela.
These denials emerge as reports indicated the Trump administration was preparing strikes on Venezuelan military installations. Concurrently, the U.S. has been conducting maritime operations, with over a dozen strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific regions since early September, officially presented as anti-drug initiatives. The U.S. military presence has been bolstered with guided missile destroyers and a naval strike group, including an aircraft carrier, deployed to Latin America. Officials assert these actions are part of a counter-drug strategy, alleging complicity by the Maduro government in international narcotics trafficking. Trump had previously alluded to potential escalation, stating ‘the land is going to be next.’
Inside Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro, who denies charges of drug trafficking and corruption leveled against him by the U.S., has accused Trump of seeking to destabilize his government. He affirmed that Venezuela’s armed forces and its people would resist any external attempt to remove him from power, warning against U.S. interference.