White House cools reports of Trump hitting targets in Venezuela
Trump “turns up the pressure” on Venezuela
Fox News Department of State and Foreign Policy Correspondent Gillian Turner reports on Venezuela’s claims that the United States is trying to incite conflict, the continued deployment of U.S. warships near the country, and more in a “special report.”
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The White House has dismissed media reports suggesting that President Donald Trump’s administration had identified and was about to strike military targets in Venezuela.
Although Trump has signaled for weeks that he is ready to launch ground operations against Venezuela, the White House has cast doubt on the new media reports.
“Anonymous sources don’t know what they’re talking about,” White House press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Any announcement regarding Venezuelan policy would come directly from the president.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Trump administration has identified military targets in Venezuela that are used to transport drugs, although the outlet said Trump has not made official his decision on whether he will launch ground strikes against those targets.
TRUMP ALL STRIKES US AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY “THREAT” TO VENEZUELA
The Trump administration ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to head toward U.S. Southern Command, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to accuse Trump of “manufacturing a new forever war.” (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images; Getty Images)
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that no decision had been made on whether he would strike military targets in Venezuela, Bloomberg News reported.
Additionally, the Miami Herald reported Friday that the administration had decided to carry out strikes against these military installations in Venezuela that could take place “within days or even hours.”
The Journal and Miami Herald cited unnamed sources familiar with the plans.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the Miami Herald’s reporting, calling the outlet’s story “false.”
“Your ‘sources’ claiming to have ‘knowledge of the situation’ led you to write a false story,” Rubio posted on X Friday afternoon, responding directly to the Miami Herald’s post promoting his article.
The Herald reported that the impending strikes were part of a broader effort launched by the Trump administration to crack down on the Cartel de los Soles, which Attorney General Pam Bondi said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro led.
The Trump administration does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, and it increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, saying he is “one of the world’s largest drug traffickers.”
Meanwhile, the US military has stepped up attacks on suspected drug-trafficking boats in Latin America – totaling at least 14 strikes since early September. Additionally, Trump ordered the U.S. Navy’s new aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to head to the region.
Trump unleashes American military power against the cartels. IS A WIDER WAR COMING ON?
A Venezuelan ship is destroyed during a US military strike off the coast of this Latin American country on September 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Brent Sadler, a senior fellow in naval warfare and advanced technology at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said the carrier’s presence means Trump has additional resources to carry out more strikes against the cartels. Meanwhile, Trump has been consistently saying for weeks that he might next launch land operations against Venezuela, in addition to his maritime strikes.
“Ford’s arrival in the SOUTHCOM area is not unprecedented, but given the ongoing attacks on cartel boats, it is significant. I view this move as intended to deter Venezuela from escalating the crisis and to provide the President with additional options if he wishes to escalate attacks on the cartels,” Sadler said in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday. “That said, I would expect Ford’s air wing to be very active in air surveillance and defense.”
After announcing Ford’s presence in the region, Maduro accused Trump of “manufacturing a new forever war.”
TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF BURNING VENEZUELA AMID RAISED TENSIONS
Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela, during a press conference at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, July 31, 2024. (Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“They promised they would never get involved in a war again, and they are manufacturing a war,” Maduro said on a national broadcast on Friday.
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Still, not all lawmakers agree with Trump’s strikes in Latin America. Senators Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, introduced a war powers resolution in October to prohibit U.S. armed forces from engaging in “hostilities” against Venezuela.
“The Trump administration has made clear that it may launch military action within Venezuela’s borders and will not stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean,” Schiff said in an Oct. 17 statement.
Fox News Digital has contacted the War Department and has not yet received a response.
This is breaking news and will be updated.
