President Trump said Friday evening that he hasn’t ruled out a “military option” in Venezuela, where he said the political situation has deteriorated into a “mess.”
Emerging from a meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the president said “we have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary.”
He did not answer a question about whether he would consider sending U.S. troops to lead any potential operation in Venezuela, where civil and political unrest have led to street protests, violence and jailings of opposition leaders.
“We don’t talk about it. But a military operation, a military option, is certainly something we could pursue,” he said at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Mr. Trump also said he would hold a “major press conference” in Washington on Monday.
The president plans to speak Friday night with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the crisis with North Korea, which is threatening to fire missiles at the U.S. territory of Guam over sanctions backed by the U.S.
“Hopefully it will all work out” with a “peaceful solution” and not a “bad solution,” Mr. Trump said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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