Crystal Dike
U.S. President Donald Trump has downplayed the likelihood of a war between the United States and Venezuela but hinted that President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may be nearing its end.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes aired on Sunday, Trump said he doubted the U.S. would go to war with Venezuela. “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly,” he said from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
His comments come as U.S. forces continue strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which the administration says are part of efforts to curb narcotics entering the country. At least 64 people have been killed in the operations since early September, according to CBS News.
Trump dismissed claims that the strikes were aimed at toppling Maduro, a long-time adversary, saying they were about “many things.” However, when pressed on whether the U.S. might launch strikes on land, he refused to rule it out. “I wouldn’t be inclined to say that I would do that… I’m not gonna tell you what I’m gonna do with Venezuela,” he said.
Maduro has accused Washington of “fabricating a new war,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the strikes were being used to “dominate Latin America.”
Trump also criticized Venezuela’s handling of migration, alleging that gangs such as Tren de Aragua were among those entering the U.S. “They come in from the Congo, from all over the world, but Venezuela in particular has been bad. They have gangs — the most vicious anywhere in the world,” he said.
On nuclear policy, Trump reaffirmed his call for the U.S. to resume nuclear weapons testing to match countries like Russia and China. “I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes,” he said, claiming that other powers secretly conduct tests.
Russia and China have not conducted nuclear tests since 1990 and 1996 respectively. Asked about this, Trump insisted: “They don’t go and tell you about it. I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test.”
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that any planned tests would be “non-critical explosions” on parts of nuclear weapons, rather than live detonations.
During the interview, Trump also addressed the ongoing government shutdown, which has lasted more than a month. He blamed Democrats for the stalemate, calling them “crazed lunatics” who have “lost their way,” but expressed confidence they would “eventually capitulate.”
The CBS appearance was Trump’s first since suing the network’s parent company, Paramount, over a 2024 interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle the suit, with the funds allocated to Trump’s future presidential library.
Trump last appeared on 60 Minutes in 2020, when he walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl, accusing the show of bias.