AP Photo/Alex Brandon
President Donald Trump continued to escalate tensions with Venezuela on Tuesday and accused the country of stealing “assets” from the U.S.
In recent months, the Trump administration has blown up several boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, alleging that the vessels were carrying drugs. Most of the boats originated in Venezuela, and at least 90 people have been killed in the strikes. Notably, Venezuela does not produce fentanyl, which is by far the deadliest illicit substance in the U.S. Last week, the Trump administration also seized an oil tanker from Venezuela, whose government it sought to overthrow during Trump’s first term.
On Tuesday, the president fired off a post stating that the “armada” the U.S. Navy has assembled off the coast of Venezuela will only get larger unless the country returns “all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
It is unclear what Trump was referring to.
The post read:
Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Experts have doubted the legality of the boat strikes. On Monday, the administration announced the bombings of three more vessels in the Pacific. U.S. Southern Command said eight people were killed, but did not specify the boats’ origins.
In a revelatory interview with Vanity Fair that was published on Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said that the campaign against Venezuela is about more than drugs. Trump wants to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
“He wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” she said. “And people way smarter than me on that say that he will.”
