President Donald Trump warned Dec. 2 that land-based U.S. military strikes against drug operations in Venezuela may come “very soon,” further escalating his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. has identified as the leader of Cartel de los Soles, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Hours earlier, Pope Leo XIV — speaking to reporters while returning from Beirut — cautioned the U.S. against moving toward an invasion and instead urged a path of dialogue.
“There is this danger, this possibility, that there could be an action, an operation, including an invasion of Venezuelan territory,” the Pope said in Spanish. “I again believe it is better to seek dialogue within this pressure, including economic pressure. But looking for another way to bring about change, if that is what the United States decides to do.”
Trump’s remarks came during a tense two-hour Cabinet meeting at the White House. He said ground operations would be “much easier” than the naval strikes the U.S. has carried out in the Caribbean in recent months and framed the operations as a direct response to Venezuela’s role in trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics into the U.S.
“If we have to, we’ll attack on land also,” Trump said.
He later expanded: “We’re going to start doing those strikes on land too. The land is much easier, much easier. And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon, too.”
Trump said he believes that once land operations begin, the flow of narcotics into the U.S. will sharply decline.
“Then you can have families be able to live without the fear of their son or daughter just having a pill to have a little fun and end up dying within a period of 60 seconds,” he said.
The President broadened his warning to other Latin American countries, including Colombia, citing reports of cocaine production there. He said any country facilitating drug flows into the U.S. “is subject to attack.”
During the Cabinet meeting, the administration also defended a controversial Sept. 2 strike on a Venezuelan-flagged vessel suspected of drug smuggling. The Washington Post reported Nov. 28 that War Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered a “double tap” on two apparent survivors of the initial strike — a possible violation of U.S. rules of engagement.
Hegseth, seated beside Trump, rejected the criticism as “fake news” and blamed any visibility issues on “the fog of war.” He said Adm. Frank Bradley made the call to launch the second strike, which Hegseth was not present for, and insisted the order was justified.
“Adm. Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat,” Hegseth said. “It was the right call. We have his back.”
Hegseth defended the broader campaign against narcotic trafficking, saying the administration has “only just begun striking narco boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Joe Biden tried to approach it with kid gloves and allowed them to come across the border,” he added. “President Trump said, ‘No, we’re taking the gloves off. We’re taking the fight to these designated terror organizations, and that’s exactly what we’re doing, so we’re stopping the drugs. We’re striking the boats. We’re defeating narco-terrorists.”
Trump chimed in, claiming that drug inflows by sea are already “down 91%” and that destroying each vessel “saves 25,000 lives.”
The Cabinet meeting came as the U.S. continues to expand its regional military footprint — with several warships deployed, roughly 15,000 troops in the area, and what officials describe as a de facto closure of Venezuelan airspace.
Amid the rising tensions, the President confirmed to reporters Dec. 1 that he had recently spoken by phone with Maduro. He declined to reveal details about the conversation.
The New York Times reported Nov. 28 that Trump and Maduro discussed the possibility of a future meeting in the U.S., though no plans have been made. The outlet said the call occurred days before the State Department’s foreign terrorist organization designation for Cartel de los Soles took effect and that the designation identified Maduro as the group’s leader.
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