President Trump is not ruling out war with Venezuela

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is leaving the possibility of a war with Venezuela on the table. “I don’t rule it out, no,” he told NBC News in a phone interview, when asked about the subject.

Trump on Tuesday ordered a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers coming and going from Venezuela, increasing pressure on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. The US recently seized an oil tanker captured near Venezuela, as well.

President Trump also declined to say whether ousting Maduro was his ultimate goal. “He knows exactly what I want,” Trump said. “He knows better than anybody,” Trump said about the Venezuelan dictator.

The Trump administration has said, in response from largely bad faith questions, that the strikes on Venezuelan drug boats have been on alleged drug boats and that Venezuela is using oil revenue to finance “drug terrorism.”

The President has already ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela and sanctioned three of Maduro’s nephews. Trump said that “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.” 

Mr Trump has been known to refuse to rule out perceived extreme actions, as a way to keep his adversaries guessing, and apply pressure to them to get them to bend to his will.

Whether this is an example of keeping options open to keep an adversary guessing, or Trump actually is considering war with Venezuela, remains to be seen.