Overview

• Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said "We'll see what happens" when asked about striking Venezuela or ousting Nicolás Maduro.
• He claimed Venezuela is sending gang members, drug dealers and drugs to the United States, and said boat traffic off its coast has decreased since a U.S. naval buildup.
• Earlier this month the White House said a U.S. missile strike sank a boat linked to Tren de Aragua and killed 11 "narco-terrorists," a description Venezuela disputes.
• Venezuela’s foreign minister accused personnel from a U.S. Navy destroyer of boarding a Venezuelan fishing vessel in its waters and called it a "direct provocation."
• The administration designated groups including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations this year, underpinning expanded military counternarcotics operations near Venezuela.