Trump Hints at Potential Military Action in Venezuela

President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that military operations in Venezuela might occur “pretty soon” following the recent seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker.

A reporter had raised a question about whether the ongoing military campaign in Venezuela is aimed primarily at combating drug trafficking or if it’s more about controlling the country’s oil resources after the recent tanker incident.

“Well, it’s about a lot of things, but one of the things it’s about is the fact that they’ve allowed millions of people to come into our country from their prisons, from gangs, from drug dealers, and from mental institutions, probably proportionately more than anybody else,” Trump responded.

He continued, “We had 11,888 murderers come into our country, many of them are from Venezuela. We had thousands of Tren de Aragua – the gang – come in from [Venezuela], which they say is the most violent gang. So it has to do with a lot of things, they’ve treated us badly, and I guess now we’re not treating them so good. If you look at the drug traffic, drug traffic by sea is down 92%… anybody getting involved in that right now is not doing well.”

Trump added, “And we’ll start that on land too, it’s gonna be starting on land pretty soon,” though he didn’t provide further specifics.

His statements followed the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker on Wednesday in the Caribbean, representing the administration’s increasing pressure on socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

According to administration officials, the seized vessel, referred to as “The Skipper,” was taken due to violations of U.S. sanctions, having been listed since 2022 for its connections to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations, along with the European Union, have consistently asserted that Maduro lacks democratic legitimacy, implying election fraud.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Thursday, “The vessel will go to a U.S. port, and the United States does intend to seize the oil. However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed.”

She added, “Prolonged war is definitely not something this president is interested in. He’s been very clear about that. He wants peace. He also wants to see the end of illegal drugs being trafficked into the United States and taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans across our country.”

The Venezuelan government called the seizure “a blatant robbery and an act of international piracy.”

As tensions escalate, analysts have expressed concerns over the possibility of open conflict between Venezuela and the U.S., while critics warn that restricting Venezuelan oil exports might lead to higher gas prices for American consumers.

Kevin Book, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, pointed out that if Venezuela’s oil is removed from the market, U.S. oil prices are likely to rise.

“Venezuela currently produces more than a million barrels [of oil] per day, approximately 1% of global supply,” Book noted. “But more importantly, Venezuela’s oil is of a specific grade that is particularly useful for refineries in America’s Gulf Coast. So the gasoline we produce and export to the world, manufactured from that grade of oil, could become slightly more expensive, not just because oil is off the market, but because a specific grade is also not available,” he added, highlighting the U.S. Gulf Coast refineries’ reliance on heavy sour oil from Mexico, Venezuela, and Canada.