Trump says he will not rule out U.S. troops in Venezuela; open to speaking with Maduro

President Trump said he is not ruling out sending U.S. troops to Venezuela but added that he may be willing to speak with Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking during a brief exchange with reporters at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump was asked if he would rule out putting U.S. forces on the ground in Venezuela. “No I don’t rule out that. I don’t rule out on anything,” he said.

Trump claimed Venezuela “dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country from prisons,” adding that some belonged to the gang Tren de Aragua.

Trump said he “probably would” speak with Maduro. “He’s done tremendous damage to our country, primarily because of drugs,” Trump said. He accused Venezuela of releasing prisoners into the United States and said, “He has not been good to the United States.”

“At a certain period of time I’ll be talking to them,” Trump added.

The comments come as the United States increases pressure on Maduro’s government. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. intends to designate Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, describing it as led by Maduro and senior officials involved in narcotics trafficking.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization in July. The agency said the group supports foreign terrorist organizations, including Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

U.S. Southern Command said the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has joined other forces operating in the Caribbean Sea under Joint Task Force Southern Spear, which has launched strikes against alleged drug vessels since September.

Reports have indicated that potential U.S. strikes could expand to targets inside Venezuela.