Trump Says He "Does Not Believe" the US Will Go to War with Venezuela, But Evades Questions on Plans

President Donald Trump stated this Sunday that he "does not believe" the United States will go to war with Venezuela, but he avoided confirming or denying whether his administration has plans for an attack, both in an interview with CBS and in remarks to the press.

On the Prospect of War

In an interview on CBS's '60 Minutes,' when asked if the U.S. is "going to war with Venezuela," Trump replied, "I doubt it. I don't think so. But they have been treating us very badly." He then mentioned drug trafficking and the illegal immigration of Venezuelan criminals to the United States.

Later, when pressed by journalist Norah O’Donnell about possible U.S. attacks on targets within Venezuelan territory, Trump responded that he did not want to say “whether it’s true or not” and added that he would not reveal to “a reporter if I’m going to attack or not.”

Evasion and Criticism of Questioning

Earlier, upon disembarking from Air Force One and being questioned about possible concrete U.S. plans for an attack on Venezuela, he responded in a similar manner.

"How can I answer a question like that? Are there plans for an attack in Venezuela? Who would say that? Assuming there were, would I tell you, honestly? Yes, we have plans. We have very secret plans," he said, again criticizing the line of questioning.

"Look, we'll see what happens with Venezuela," he stated, before returning to his argument that the Venezuelan government "sent thousands of people from prisons, mental institutions, and drug addicts."

On Military Presence and Maduro's Future

In the CBS interview, when pressed about the presence of an aircraft carrier, in reference to the USS Gerald Ford—the largest and most sophisticated—which could suggest an aerial operation, Trump replied ironically that "it has to be somewhere, it's very big."

Throughout the interview, Trump frequently interrupted the journalist to talk about immigration whenever she tried to return to the topic and avoided giving concrete answers. However, when asked if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's "days are numbered," he was quick to respond: "I would say yes, I think so."

Trump, along with his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, denied on Friday that the United States is preparing to attack Venezuela, despite an undeniable increase in military pressure on Caracas.