“Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect,” he added.<\/p>\n
When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Friday what would happen if Venezuelan jets flew over US vessels again, Trump said Venezuela would be in “trouble”. <\/p>\n
Trump told his general, standing beside him, that he could do anything he wanted if the situation escalated.<\/p>\n
Since his return to office in January, Trump has steadily intensified his anti-drug-trafficking efforts in Latin America.<\/p>\n
Maduro has accused the US of seeking “regime change through military threat”.<\/p>\n
When asked about the comments, Trump said “we’re not talking about that”, but mentioned what he called a “very strange election” in Venezuela. Maduro was sworn in for his third term in January after a contested election.<\/a><\/p>\n Trump went on to say that “drugs are pouring” into the US from Venezuela and that members of Tren de Aragua – a gang proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the US – were living there. <\/p>\n The US military has moved to bolster its forces in the southern Caribbean, including through the deployment of additional naval vessels and thousands of marines and sailors to stem the flow of drugs.<\/p>\n The White House said on Friday that it is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n When asked about the build-up of military assets in the Caribbean, Trump said: “I think it’s just strong. We’re strong on drugs. We don’t want drugs killing our people.”<\/p>\n