US President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals about potential US intervention in Venezuela, suggesting that while he doubts the possibility of war against the South American nation, he believes President Nicolás Maduro's days as president are numbered.
During a CBS interview released on Sunday, Trump played down concerns of imminent war with Venezuela, stating "I doubt it. I don't think so." However, when asked about Maduro's future, Trump replied "yeah" and "I think so, yeah," indicating that the US is preparing for a potential regime change in Caracas.
The comments come as the US has been conducting multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels off the coast of Venezuela, killing dozens. The US has yet to provide evidence that these targets were involved in narcotics trafficking or posed a threat to national security.
Trump also made several other surprising claims during the interview, including allegations that countries like Russia and China had conducted underground nuclear tests without publicly disclosing this information. When asked if he planned to conduct similar tests, Trump stated that "we're going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do."
The comments have sparked confusion about Trump's intentions, particularly regarding his order for the US Department of War to begin testing nuclear weapons. The announcement has raised concerns among international observers and experts.
It is worth noting that no country other than North Korea has conducted a nuclear detonation in decades, while Russia and China have not carried out such tests since 1990 and 1996, respectively. Trump's comments appear to be at odds with the US' commitment to the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty.
Trump also addressed other topics during the interview, including his stance on government shutdowns, presidential term limits, and immigration enforcement.
During a CBS interview released on Sunday, Trump played down concerns of imminent war with Venezuela, stating "I doubt it. I don't think so." However, when asked about Maduro's future, Trump replied "yeah" and "I think so, yeah," indicating that the US is preparing for a potential regime change in Caracas.
The comments come as the US has been conducting multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels off the coast of Venezuela, killing dozens. The US has yet to provide evidence that these targets were involved in narcotics trafficking or posed a threat to national security.
Trump also made several other surprising claims during the interview, including allegations that countries like Russia and China had conducted underground nuclear tests without publicly disclosing this information. When asked if he planned to conduct similar tests, Trump stated that "we're going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do."
The comments have sparked confusion about Trump's intentions, particularly regarding his order for the US Department of War to begin testing nuclear weapons. The announcement has raised concerns among international observers and experts.
It is worth noting that no country other than North Korea has conducted a nuclear detonation in decades, while Russia and China have not carried out such tests since 1990 and 1996, respectively. Trump's comments appear to be at odds with the US' commitment to the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty.
Trump also addressed other topics during the interview, including his stance on government shutdowns, presidential term limits, and immigration enforcement.
what's really going on in that head of his? and then there's this nuclear test thingy... i mean, come on, dude, north korea is the only one testing nukes these days. what's the point of us following suit just to show off? and have you seen the way he speaks about other countries? it's like he's trying to create an enemy wherever he looks. 
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. One day war, next day regime change 
. Can't make up his mind? 
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has no idea how that would play out globally or even domestically. i'm all for some regime change in venezuela but come on dude, let's not make it some nuclear cat-astrophe 
what about those venezuelans trying to survive in a country that's barely functioning? we're talking about human lives here, not just some geo-political game 
? I mean, come on, dude. We all know that Russia and China didn't exactly go underground with their nukes back in the 90s. And what's with him saying we're gonna test them like other countries do? Like, isn't that just begging for a nuclear arms race? 