Trump Warns Venezuelan Jets Will Be Shot Down If They Threaten U.S. Naval Vessels

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Venezuela, stating that any military aircraft that endangers U.S. naval ships will be shot down.

The warning came after Venezuelan military jets reportedly flew close to a U.S. vessel near South America for the second time in two days, according to U.S. officials cited by CBS News, a partner of the BBC.

The incident follows a recent U.S. military strike on what officials described as a drug-smuggling vessel linked to Venezuelan criminal networks, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people.

In response to the growing tensions, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro dismissed the U.S. claims, calling them baseless and asserting that disagreements between the two nations do not justify military confrontation.

“Venezuela has always been open to dialogue,” Maduro said, “but we demand respect.”

Trump: “They’ll Be Shot Down”

When questioned in the Oval Office on Friday about how the U.S. would respond if Venezuelan jets flew over American ships again, Trump said Venezuela would be in “serious trouble.”

He added that his military commanders had full authority to act if the situation escalated.

“If they put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down,” Trump stated.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has ramped up anti-drug trafficking operations in Latin America, with a particular focus on Venezuela, which he claims is a major transit point for narcotics entering the United States.

Maduro Responds to Accusations

President Maduro has accused the U.S. of pursuing “regime change through military threats,” a charge Trump sidestepped when asked, though he did cast doubt on Venezuela’s democratic processes, referring to a “very strange election” in which Maduro was re-elected for a third term.

Trump further claimed that drugs were “pouring” into the U.S. from Venezuela, and reiterated that members of Tren de Aragua a Venezuelan gang designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. were active in the country.

U.S. Military Buildup in the Caribbean

The United States has reinforced its presence in the southern Caribbean, deploying additional naval vessels, as well as thousands of Marines and sailors, as part of efforts to combat drug trafficking.

On Friday, the White House announced that 10 F-35 fighter jets would be deployed to Puerto Rico, further strengthening the U.S. military posture in the region.

“We’re strong on drugs,” Trump said. “We don’t want drugs killing our people.”

Ongoing Pressure on Maduro

Trump, a long-time critic of Maduro, doubled the U.S. reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million in August, calling him “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”

During Trump’s previous term, the U.S. Justice Department charged Maduro and several top Venezuelan officials with narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking. Maduro has consistently rejected these allegations.