Former U.S. President Donald Trump has downplayed the likelihood of a U.S. war with Venezuela but hinted that President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may soon come to an end.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump dismissed the idea of military conflict, saying, “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly.”
For the past two months, the U.S. military has significantly increased its presence in the Caribbean Sea deploying warships, fighter jets, bombers, marines, drones, and spy planes marking the region’s largest buildup in decades. The operations, according to the Trump administration, are aimed at combating drug smuggling networks accused of trafficking narcotics into the U.S.
Responding to speculation that the campaign was a cover to remove Maduro from power, Trump said the operations were about “many things,” not solely regime change.
CBS News, citing U.S. officials, reported that at least 64 people have been killed in American strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since early September.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump defended the operations, saying, “Every single boat that you see that’s shot down kills 25,000 on drugs and destroys families all over our country.”
Pressed on whether Washington was planning strikes on Venezuelan territory, he refused to rule it out. “I wouldn’t be inclined to say that I would do that… 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,” he said.
The U.S. has also deployed B-52 bombers for “attack demonstrations” off Venezuela’s coast, authorized CIA operations in the country, and sent the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region.
Maduro has accused Washington of “fabricating a new war,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro argued that the strikes are part of a U.S. strategy to “dominate” Latin America.
Trump also condemned criminal groups he claimed were coming from Venezuela, including the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, calling it “the most vicious gang anywhere in the world.”
When asked about reports that he had urged military leaders to resume nuclear weapons testing, Trump appeared to confirm the intention. “I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes,” he told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell.
However, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later told Fox News that there were no plans to conduct live nuclear detonations, attempting to ease growing international concerns.
During the interview, Trump also addressed the ongoing U.S. government shutdown now in its second month blaming Democrats for the stalemate. “They’re crazed lunatics. They’ve lost their way,” he said, adding that he believed they would eventually vote to end the impasse.
This interview marked Trump’s first appearance on 60 Minutes since suing CBS’s parent company, Paramount, over a 2024 interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump claimed the segment had been edited to favor Democrats.
Paramount agreed to a $16 million settlement, which will go toward Trump’s planned presidential library. The company did not issue an apology as part of the deal.
Trump last appeared on 60 Minutes in 2020, when he famously walked out of an interview with journalist Lesley Stahl, accusing the program of bias. He declined to participate in the show during the 2024 presidential election campaign.
