The jousting between Donald Trump and Venezuelan President-Dictator Nicolas Maduro continues.
Trump has not been shy about letting Maduro know that he is coming for him, and he has made yet another move to put the controversial leader on notice.
Trump has moved special-ops aircraft into the region, which likely means an operation is either ready to take place, or operators are ready to roll when the president finally makes the call.
In November, Trump had suggested that there were moves in play that were going to effectuate Maduro's removal from power.
During an interview with 60 Minutes, Trump was asked if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” and the president responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.”
Trump was then asked if any operations were being planned, to which Trump responded, “I don’t tell you that. I mean -- I’m not saying it’s true or untrue. I’m not gonna tell you what I’m gonna do with Venezuela, if I was gonna do it or if I wasn’t going to do it.”
It was later reported that Trump and Maduro had a call, where Trump reportedly offered Maduro an exit opportunity if he relinquished power, but they could not come to terms, and Maduro remained in Venezuela.
Over the last few weeks, Trump has continued to hit alleged drug boats, but he turned up the heat by seizing a Venezuelan tanker as well as calling for a blockade to prevent any oil from leaving the country.
Maduro then responded, “I think President Trump should focus on the problems in his own country. If he concentrated on economic and social matters, his relations with the world would improve.”
He later added, “We will overcome this challenge and emerge stronger as a sovereign nation.”
Trump has continued to apply pressure, now making it appear all but imminent that a massive strike is going to take place.
This week, at least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, used by special-operations forces, arrived in the Caribbean, so it would appear that Trump has something up his sleeve.
My military buddies tell me that this, more than anything else, signifies that some sort of strike is about to take place, as these resources are not being moved for optics only. This is a significant number of troops and support aircraft with a very specialized skill set, so it does appear that Trump is planning something significant and soon.
The Department of Defense has not commented on a possible land strike, but Trump has not been as tight-lipped, recently stating, “We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we’ve ever had, and by far the biggest we’ve ever had in South America. Soon, we will be starting the same program on land.”
Congress failed to block Trump from conducting land operations, but this is some very thin ice on which he is walking. Trump cannot declare war without congressional approval, so I am not sure how he would be able to legally justify these strikes. Trump has to be careful here because the GOP is not likely to hold power in the House come 2027. And if Dems take control, believe me, they are creating a wish-list of things for which they can impeach the current president, and this would surely be added to that tally.
