‘Venezuelan regime is intolerable’: Rubio defends Trump amid war concerns
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Venezuelan regime is intolerable’: Rubio defends Trump amid war concerns")
US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Photograph: (AFP)
Earlier on Thursday (Dec 18), Trump said that he does not need congressional approval to order military strikes on Venezuelan soil amid rising tensions with the country.
US President Donald Trump has said that he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela. Meanwhile, his top diplomat, Marco Rubio, announced a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela. This comes as the US continues to expand its military presence in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, carrying out strikes on alleged drug boats.
When asked about a war with the South American nation, Trump told NBC News in an interview, “I don’t rule it out, no.”
Trump did not say whether he wants to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. In an earlier interview, Trump said that the leftist firebrand’s “days are numbered.”
“He knows exactly what I want,” Trump said. “He knows better than anybody.”
‘Goal is to change dynamic’
Defending the US military actions, Rubio said, “It is clear that the current status quo with the Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States.”
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
“So yes, our goal is to change that dynamic, and that’s why the president is doing what he’s doing,” he said of Trump during a press conference at the State Department. He declined to say whether the US was aiming to overthrow Maduro.
Earlier on Thursday (Dec 18), Trump said that he does not need congressional approval to order military strikes on Venezuelan soil amid rising tensions with the country. His remarks have sparked concerns about the legality of the campaign in international waters. Under the US Constitution, the president serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but Congress holds the exclusive authority to formally declare war.
“I’m not going to speculate about things that, you know, haven’t happened and may never happen,” Rubio said. “I can tell you that to this point, nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold in the war.”
According to an AFP tally, 104 people have been killed in US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has provided no evidence regarding the matter.
