President Donald Trump warned Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro against playing “tough” with the United States on Monday.
The president offered grave advice to Maduro while taking questions from reporters after announcing the construction of a new “Trump-Class” of battleship. Trump, asked why Maduro “should take [Trump’s] threats seriously,” said Maduro could do “whatever he wants.”
“He can do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we’ve ever had – by far the biggest we’ve ever had in South America. He could do whatever he wants. It’s alright. Whatever he wants to do, if he wants to do something. If he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” said Trump.
The president was asked about Maduro and U.S. goals in Venezuela several times throughout the press conference and repeatedly said the decision is up to Maduro.
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“I think it probably would,” said Trump when asked if the United States is seeking to oust Maduro from power. “That’s up to him what he wants to do. I think it would be smart for him to do that, but, again, we’re going to find out.”
The Trump administration has ramped up the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela. Over the summer, the U.S. military began to surge battleships and troops into the southern Caribbean to close down drug trafficking routes out of Venezuela. The United States has added the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the most advanced warship in the U.S. fleet, to the military assets stationed off Venezuela’s coast.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has targeted sanctioned tanker ships used to move Venezuelan oil to international buyers, such as Iran. The president said that the United States will keep the ships and the oil that it confiscates as the administration ramps up its pressure campaign on Maduro.
“We’re going to keep it. Maybe we’ll sell it. Maybe we’ll keep it. Maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserves,” said Trump on Monday.