Overview
- In a Politico interview, President Trump declared Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered” and declined to rule in or out a U.S. ground invasion.
- Trump said airstrikes targeting Venezuelan territory could occur “very soon,” citing a counternarcotics campaign.
- Since Sept. 2, U.S. forces have conducted more than 20 strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with over 80 reported killed.
- Reporting describes a U.S. amphibious buildup near Venezuela and says Maduro has mobilized his military for potential resistance.
- The administration previously labeled Maduro a narco-trafficking leader and raised bounties, and Trump voiced openness to similar strikes in Mexico and Colombia as DEA data show most fentanyl flows from Mexico.