Overview
- In a CBS 60 Minutes interview, Trump said he believes Nicolás Maduro is near the end of his rule but expressed doubt the U.S. will go to war with Venezuela.
- When pressed on potential ground operations, he refused to answer, saying he would not discuss attacks with a journalist.
- U.S. forces have carried out at least 15 strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, actions the administration describes as counternarcotics and legal experts have criticized as extrajudicial killings.
- Trump has previously confirmed authorizing the CIA to conduct covert actions in Venezuela.
- After Trump said the U.S. would test nuclear weapons, Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that any tests would not involve nuclear detonations, and Trump also reiterated limits on Nvidia’s most advanced chip sales to China.