Donald Trump has rejected claims that the United States is preparing for war with Venezuela, while suggesting that Nicolás Maduro’s presidency could be nearing its end. Speaking to CBS’ 60 Minutes, Trump said: “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly.”
US intensifies strikes on Caribbean drug routes
Trump’s remarks come as Washington steps up attacks on vessels suspected of smuggling drugs across the Caribbean. Officials say the strikes aim to prevent narcotics from entering the United States. Critics claim the campaign targets Maduro’s government. Trump denied this, saying the missions serve “many purposes.”
Since early September, at least 64 people have died in US strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, according to American media reports. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump defended the operations, claiming each destroyed vessel prevents “25,000 deaths from drugs” and protects families nationwide.
Trump leaves future military actions uncertain
Asked if he might authorize strikes on Venezuelan soil, Trump refused to provide a clear answer. “I wouldn’t be inclined to say that I would do that… I’m not gonna tell you what I’m gonna do with Venezuela, if I was gonna do it or if I wasn’t going to do it,” he said.
Maduro accused Washington of “creating a new war,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned that the strikes serve US interests to “dominate” Latin America.
Migration and gangs draw Trump’s attention
Trump also addressed migration, pledging stronger border enforcement. “They come in from the Congo, they come in from all over the world, not just from South America,” he said. He singled out Venezuela as a source of criminal activity, citing the gang Tren de Aragua. Trump called it “the most vicious gang anywhere in the world.”
Nuclear weapons testing back on the agenda
The interview shifted to nuclear weapons after Trump renewed calls for the US to resume testing. Asked if the US would detonate a nuclear device for the first time in more than 30 years, he said: “We’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes.”
He added: “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it.” Though both countries have not officially tested since the 1990s, Trump said, “They don’t go and tell you about it.” He added that the US cannot be “the only country that doesn’t test,” naming North Korea and Pakistan as other nations conducting secret tests.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that any testing would involve “non-critical explosions” to verify the internal function of nuclear weapons.
Democrats blamed for government shutdown
Trump also discussed the ongoing US government shutdown, now lasting more than a month and leaving millions without essential services. He blamed Democrats for the stalemate, calling them “crazed lunatics” who have “lost their way.” He predicted they would eventually vote to reopen the government. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem,” he said.
CBS lawsuit still affects relations
This was Trump’s first CBS interview since he sued its parent company, Paramount, over a 2024 broadcast with then Vice President Kamala Harris. He accused the network of editing the segment to “favor the Democratic Party.”
Paramount later agreed to pay $16 million (£13.5 million) to settle the lawsuit, directing the money to Trump’s planned presidential library rather than to him personally. The settlement did not include an apology.
Trump last appeared on 60 Minutes in 2020, when he walked out of an interview with journalist Lesley Stahl, claiming bias. He refused to grant the program an interview during the 2024 election campaign.
