Trump says he’s open to military intervention in Venezuela
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t rule out military action against Venezuela in response to the country’s descent into political chaos following President Nicolas Maduro’s power grab. Venezuela’s government responded by accusing Trump of seeking to destabilize Latin America.
Speaking to reporters Friday at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, Trump bemoaned Venezuela’s growing humanitarian crisis and declared that all options remain on the table — including a potential military intervention.
“We have many options for Venezuela and, by the way, I’m not going to rule out a military option,” Trump said.
Trump’s comment mark a serious escalation in rhetoric for the U.S., which has up until now stressed a regional approach that encourages Latin American allies to increase pressure on the Maduro regime. Hours before Trump’s comments, a senior administration official speaking on condition of anonymity stressed that approach while briefing reporters on Vice-President Mike Pence’s upcoming trip to the region.
Venezuela’s government responded Saturday in a statement read by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza that called Trump’s talk of a potential military option an act of belligerence and a threat to Latin America’s stability.
The White House released a statement Friday saying it had rejected a request from Maduro to speak by phone with Trump. The statement said: “Trump will gladly speak with the leader of Venezuela as soon as democracy is restored in that country.”
The Trump administration has slapped sanctions against Maduro and more than two dozen current and former Venezuelan officials in response to a crackdown on opposition leaders and the recent election of a constitutional assembly charged with rewriting the country’s constitution.
But promised economic sanctions have yet to materialize amid an outcry by U.S. oil companies over the likelihood that a potential ban on petroleum imports from Venezuela — the third-largest supplier to the U.S. — would hurt U.S. jobs and drive up gas costs.