2 weeks ago
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Akash Samaroo
United States President Donald Trump has said Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s time in office is nearing its end, but refused to confirm whether Washington is planning land strikes against the South American nation, which lies just seven miles from Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking on Sunday evening with CBS journalist Norah O’Donnell during an interview on 60 Minutes, Trump was questioned about the deployment of U.S. military assets in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, including the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest warship.
When asked directly whether Maduro’s “days as president are numbered,” Trump replied, “I would say, yeah, I think so, yea.”
O’Donnell then pressed further: “And this issue of potential land strikes in Venezuela, is that true?”
Trump responded, “I don’t tell you that. I mean, I’m not saying it’s true or untrue, but I wouldn’t be inclined to say that I would do that. I don’t talk to a reporter about whether or not I’m going to strike. I’m not going to. You know, you’re a wonderful reporter. You’re very talented. But I’m not going to tell you what I’m going to do with Venezuela if I was going to do it or if I wasn’t going to do it.”
When O’Donnell asked why an aircraft carrier and strike group were deployed to the region, Trump answered, “It’s got to be somewhere. It’s a big one.”
Earlier in the interview, when asked if the United States was preparing for war with Venezuela, Trump said he doubted it.
“I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly, not only on drugs. They’ve dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country that we didn’t want, people from prisons. They emptied their prisons into our country,” he said.
On Friday, the Miami Herald reported that Trump had authorised land strikes against Venezuela. Shortly after, Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force issued a call for all personnel to report for duty, triggering widespread public concern.
Trump later denied giving any such order, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the Miami Herald report as “fake.”
In Trinidad and Tobago, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander said the Defence Force mobilisation was routine, while Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she had no prior knowledge of the order. Both urged the public to remain calm.
Since September 2025, the U.S. military has conducted several operations in the Caribbean, including a series of strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels off South America. As of early November 2025, U.S. defence officials had confirmed at least 15 strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of at least 64 people.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has publicly supported the U.S. anti-narcotics campaign, saying Trinidad and Tobago has long suffered from high homicide rates linked to drug and gun trafficking.
However, the Venezuelan government has denounced the growing U.S. military presence as a pretext for regime change and a direct threat to its sovereignty.
English (US) ·