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President Donald Trump said Sunday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro wants talks with the U.S. as tensions mount between the nations, but stressed that he has not planned or authorized any land-based military strikes against the South American nation.
Speaking with reporters before boarding Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Trump said a recent U.S. designation of a Venezuelan-linked cartel gives the government the authority to target Maduro’s assets or infrastructure. He added that while such actions are possible, no decision has been made.
“It allows us to do that,” Trump said. “But we haven’t said we’re going to do that…we may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk.”
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The president said his administration is keeping Congress informed about ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking through Venezuela and Mexico but emphasized that he does not need lawmakers’ approval to act. He said communication with Congress is meant to keep them aware, not to seek authorization.
Trump added that he told Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials to meet with lawmakers and convey that the U.S. will not allow narcotics to flow through either country.
“We like to keep Congress involved,” he said. “I mean, we’re stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country.”
TRUMP AGREES MADURO’S DAYS AS VENEZUELA’S PRESIDENT ARE NUMBERED IN ‘60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW
Trump warned members of Congress not to leak sensitive details about U.S. operations that could endanger military or intelligence personnel. Trump 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’s very important and confidential,” he said. “And they put our military at risk or whoever is doing, you know, CIA, military, etc.”
Trump said several countries are backing U.S. efforts to pressure Venezuela, describing the campaign as part of a broader fight against narcotics and illegal immigration. He accused the Maduro regime of releasing violent prisoners into the United States and said his administration is removing them.
TRUMP SAYS VENEZUELA’S MADURO DOESN’T WANT TO ‘F*** AROUND’ WITH THE US
“Yeah, we have great support because it’s all about drugs,” he said. “Well, in Venezuela’s case, it’s about drugs, and it’s also about thousands, hundreds of thousands, of people that they’ve released into our country.”
He said the Biden administration bears responsibility for what he called a historic border crisis, pointing to the influx of migrants and criminals who entered under the previous administration.
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“Our country is doing so well,” Trump said. “But what the Biden administration did to our country should never be forgotten.”
“The single worst thing they did is allow 20 or 25 million people to pour into our country,” he continued. “People from prisons, drug dealers, mental institutions, bad people, gang members – to allow that to happen to the United States, totally unchecked and unvetted,should never be forgotten.”
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