19th December 2025 – (Washington) President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is not ruling out the possibility of war with Venezuela, telling NBC News in a phone interview: “I don’t rule it out, no.”
The remarks followed his order on Tuesday to enforce a “blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, intensifying pressure on President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. has also seized an oil tanker intercepted near the country. The administration’s broader campaign has led to 28 strikes on vessels, resulting in more than 100 deaths, including a so‑called “double tap” strike now under scrutiny by Congress.
Pressed on whether such actions risk escalating into open conflict, Trump replied, “I don’t discuss it,” but then acknowledged war was a possibility and said further seizures of oil tankers are planned. Asked for a timetable, he said: “It depends. If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbours.” He declined to state whether removing Maduro is his ultimate objective, adding only: “He knows exactly what I want. He knows better than anybody.”
Trump’s stance is notable given his efforts to distance himself from the Republican Party’s hawkish wing. He campaigned in 2024 on keeping the US out of foreign entanglements and, in his victory speech, declared: “I’m not going to start a war; I’m going to stop wars.” The administration argues its maritime operations have targeted alleged narcotics vessels and that Venezuela’s oil revenues fund “drug terrorism.”
The president also used a prime‑time national address on Wednesday to defend his economic agenda amid persistent voter concerns over the cost of living. He announced a US$1,776 “warrior dividend” for nearly 1.5 million service members to mark the nation’s approaching 250th anniversary, saying payments would be issued “very soon” and funded through his “One Big Beautiful Bill” and tariff revenues. “We’re making so much money with tariffs that we are able to do that and have plenty left over,” he claimed.
A senior administration official said the one‑off bonus, costing about US$2.6 billion, would instead draw on military housing funds within the One Big Beautiful Bill, which Trump signed in July and which allocated US$2.9 billion to lower out‑of‑pocket housing costs for two years. A Senate appropriations source likewise said the money would come from those housing allocations, not tariffs, with the Pentagon opting for a single payment rather than setting an ongoing precedent for housing support.
On health care, Trump castigated “gigantic health insurance companies that have gotten rich on billions of dollars of money that should go directly to the people.” He argued Americans should be able to purchase their own insurance with “far better benefits at much lower cost.” With Affordable Care Act premiums set to surge next year after House Republicans declined to vote on extending subsidies, Trump said he does not see a need to repeal Obamacare: “I don’t have to do anything, because Obamacare would just repeal itself automatically because nobody’s going to want to use it. Too expensive.” He added that he has no plans to unveil a broader health‑care blueprint, saying his approach was effectively outlined in his speech: redirect money directly to individuals through various accounts so they can buy their own cover.
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