White House escalates rhetoric, suggests intervention amid chaos
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that he wouldn’t rule out military action against Venezuela in response to the country’s descent into political chaos after President Nicolas Maduro’s power grab.
Speaking to reporters at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., Trump bemoaned the country’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 volunteered, adding, “A military operation and military option is certainly something that we could pursue.”
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 escalate pressure on the Maduro government. 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 defense minister called Trump’s talk of a military intervention an act of “craziness” and “supreme extremism.”
Gen. Vladimir Padrino, a close ally of Maduro, said, “With this extremist elite that’s in charge in the U.S., who knows what will happen to the world?”
The White House later released a statement 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 a series of sanctions against Maduro and more than two dozen current and former Venezuelan officials. Jill Colvin and Joshua Goodman are Associated Press writers.