Mar-a-Lago, Florida — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has played down the possibility of a U.S. war with Venezuela but warned that President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may soon come to an end.
In a wide-ranging interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump said he “doubts” the U.S. will go to war with Venezuela but accused the Maduro government of “treating us very badly.” His comments come amid continuing U.S. air and naval strikes against what Washington describes as drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
“I doubt it. I don’t think so,” Trump said when asked about a potential U.S.-Venezuela conflict. “But they’ve been treating us very badly.”
The Trump administration has defended the strikes as necessary to stem the flow of narcotics into the United States. However, critics and regional leaders — including Venezuelan President Maduro and Colombian President Gustavo Petro — have accused Washington of using the operations as a pretext to expand its influence in Latin America.
At least 64 people have reportedly been killed by U.S. strikes since early September, according to CBS News.
Trump, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence, claimed the strikes are saving lives.
“Every single boat that you see that’s shot down kills 25,000 on drugs and destroys families all over our country,” he said.
Pressed on whether he would authorize strikes on Venezuelan territory, Trump 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, if I was gonna do it or if I wasn’t going to do it.”
The former president also addressed broader migration concerns, singling out Venezuela for allegedly allowing violent criminal groups to move northward.
“They come in from the Congo, they come in from all over the world… But Venezuela in particular has been bad,” Trump said, citing the Tren de Aragua gang, which he described as “the most vicious gang anywhere in the world.”
Trump Suggests U.S. Could Resume Nuclear Testing
Trump also suggested the United States could resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in over three decades, arguing that rivals such as Russia and China are already conducting such tests — a claim not supported by current public evidence.
“I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes,” Trump said. “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it.”
He added that he does not want the U.S. to be “the only country that doesn’t test,” mentioning North Korea and Pakistan as examples of nations maintaining active testing programs.
However, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that any planned tests would involve “non-critical explosions” — controlled experiments that do not result in a nuclear detonation.
Government Shutdown Blame and Media Feud
Trump also addressed the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, now in its second month, blaming Democrats for the stalemate.
“They’re crazed lunatics who have lost their way,” he said. “And if they don’t vote [to end it], that’s their problem.”
The interview marked Trump’s first appearance on 60 Minutes since he sued the show’s parent company, Paramount Global, over its 2024 interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris. The $16 million settlement from that case was allocated to Trump’s future presidential library, though Paramount did not issue an apology.
Trump last appeared on 60 Minutes in 2020, when he walked out mid-interview, claiming bias from correspondent Lesley Stahl.