President Donald Trump ended a long pre-luncheon press conference with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky by dropping a precision “F” bomb against the leader of Venezuela.
Asked by a reporter at the White House on Friday to verify reports that President Nicolas Maduro has “offered everything in his country” to stop escalating U.S. operations in Venezuela, Trump said the journalist was correct.
“He has offered everything. He’s offered everything, you’re right. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States,” the president said live on national television.
“Goodnight, everybody,” he immediately added before ending the press conference.
Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he has authorized the CIA to begin land-based operations against narco-terrorists based in Venezuela.
It is an escalation following his administration’s campaign of targeted strikes against vessels reported to be transporting narcotics into the U.S. via sea.
Trump even told reporters that he is “certainly looking at” the possibility of land strikes in Venezuela, “because we’ve got the sea under control.”
Maduro has accused the Trump administration of attempting to overthrow his regime.
“How long will the CIA continue to carry on with its coups?” Maduro asked, following the Wednesday comments, likening the current operations to the “failed eternal wars” the U.S. propagated in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Not war, yes peace. The people of the U.S., please,” Maduro said in an English message to the public.
His fears are not unfounded — a strong contingent of the White House is reportedly pushing for the administration to take direct action in overthrowing the Venezuelan leader.
Maduro, who has held on to power via a series of elections widely believed to have been shams, is wanted by the FBI for his connections to various drug cartels operating in Venezuela.
“Maduro helped manage and ultimately lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials,” the State Department reports. “As he gained power in Venezuela, Maduro participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
A U.S. military drone strike on a suspected Venezuelan narcoterrorist vessel in international waters of the Caribbean Sea on Thursday left several survivors.
Two to three people reportedly survived after the alleged cartel vessel was hit, said a U.S. official, according to Reuters. It is believed to be the first time there were any survivors during such military strikes.
During the meeting with Zelensky, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was tight-lipped about the latest strike, but Trump said the vessel was a submarine that was carrying drugs.
WALTZ DEFENDS CIA OPERATIONS IN VENEZUELA TO THWART ‘DESIGNATED TERRORIST GANGS’
Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition against Maduro, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year for her efforts to rally the public against the president. She dedicated the award to Trump, who she said has been pivotal in the fight for Venezuelan democracy.
“This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom. We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” Machado said.
She added: “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
