Betsy Klein, Kevin Liptak, Haley Britzky, Kylie Atwood
President Donald Trump suggested he has made up his mind on a course of action in Venezuela following multiple high-level briefings last week and a mounting US show of force in the region.
Officials briefed Trump last week on options for military operations inside Venezuela, four sources told CNN, as he weighs the risks and benefits of launching a scaled-up campaign to potentially oust President Nicolás Maduro. The US military, meanwhile, has amassed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops into the region as part of what the Pentagon branded “Operation Southern Spear.”
In another sign of increasing tensions, the US announced Sunday that it will designate a Venezuelan cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, which Trump suggested would allow the US military to target Maduro’s assets and infrastructure in the country.
The president indicated Friday he was drawing closer to a path forward on his attempts to cut down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs — and the possibility of regime change.
“I sort of have made up my mind — yeah. I mean, I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of have,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked directly about those meetings and whether he had made a decision.
Trump told reporters Sunday, however, that the US may have discussions with Maduro, adding Venezuela “would like to talk.”
What has Trump been briefed on?
A small group, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, briefed the president on Wednesday. A larger national security team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials, met with Trump in the Situation Room on Thursday, according to a US official.
Trump and his team reviewed target options during both meetings.
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