The president is set to gather top national security officials Monday evening to finalize options for increasing pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump will convene a 5 p.m. Oval Office meeting on Monday to review next steps in U.S. policy toward Venezuela, according to CNN. The session will include War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The meeting follows a weekend of heightened U.S. pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro, including new sanctions, military deployments in the Caribbean, and a presidential directive advising airlines, pilots, and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace.
Trump confirmed Sunday that he had spoken directly with Maduro, though he declined to provide details. “The answer is yes,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. Sources told the Miami Herald that the conversation, arranged through intermediaries in Brazil, Qatar, and Turkey, included an offer of safe passage for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son if they agreed to leave the country. The proposal fell apart after Washington rejected conditions sought by Maduro’s negotiators, including broad amnesty, continued control of the armed forces, and a delayed resignation.
In response, Trump ordered the closure of Venezuelan airspace to all civilian traffic and hinted that U.S. ground-based operations targeting regional drug-trafficking networks could begin “very soon.” The administration also designated the Cartel de los Soles — a network of senior Venezuelan military figures accused of facilitating narcotics shipments — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a move that expands U.S. counterterrorism authorities.
A significant U.S. naval presence remains positioned near Venezuela, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, more than 10 warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 fighter jets. Officials said Monday’s Oval Office discussion will evaluate both military readiness and diplomatic initiatives as the administration enters what one senior official described as “a decisive phase” of its campaign to push Maduro from power.
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