U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela, NBC News reported Monday.
Trump made the remarks in an exclusive phone interview with NBC News, leaving open the possibility of military conflict with Venezuela, according to the report. Since the start of his second term, the Trump administration has declared war on Venezuelan drug cartels and has been continuously attacking vessels passing through the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing the need to block drug trafficking.
On May 16, the U.S. government designated the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela as a foreign terrorist organization and imposed a full blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating pressure on the country.
When NBC asked whether this pressure on Venezuela could lead to war, Trump initially said he would "not discuss it." However, when pressed for a specific answer, he said he does not rule out the possibility of war, NBC News reported.
Trump also said there would be additional seizures of oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. When asked specifically when additional seizures would occur, he said it "depends on the situation," adding, "If they're foolish enough to continue sailing, they'll be brought back to one of our ports."
On whether ousting the Maduro regime is his ultimate goal, Trump declined to give a specific answer, saying only, "He knows exactly what I want. He knows better than anyone."
NBC News noted that Trump had said he would "stop wars" in his speech immediately after winning the presidential election, pointing out that "his acknowledgment of the possibility of war with Venezuela carries significant meaning."
Meanwhile, Trump said the "warrior dividend" payments for 1.45 million military service members announced during his national address on May 17 would be distributed "within days." He emphasized that the warrior dividend would be funded by tariff revenue, saying, "We can do it because we're making a lot of money from tariffs, and there's plenty left over."
On whether to abolish the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, Trump said, "I don't need to do anything," adding, "Obamacare will be automatically abolished because no one will want to use it. It's too expensive."
Currently, Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year after both parties' subsidy extension bills were defeated in Senate votes. This has led to predictions that health insurance premiums for Americans will surge.
When asked whether he plans to introduce more comprehensive healthcare reform, Trump replied, "As I see it, I already announced it last night," adding, "We will pay people directly. There are various methods, but we will allow people to purchase healthcare services directly."
