President Donald Trump will hold a high-level meeting at the White House tonight to discuss the next steps regarding Venezuela, according to sources cited by CNN. The session is set for 23:00 local time (17:00 ET) in the Oval Office and will include senior Cabinet and national security officials such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The meeting comes as the United States escalates pressure on Venezuela through operations targeting drug trafficking and the deployment of military assets in the Caribbean. The US military has mobilized over a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region as part of “Southern Trunk Operation.”
Trump has also indicated that the US will soon halt Venezuelan drug trafficking over land and sea, and over the weekend, he issued warnings via social media to airlines, pilots, and criminal networks to avoid Venezuelan airspace. The President confirmed he spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by phone, though details of the conversation remain undisclosed.
The US administration recently designated Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization, a move intended to broaden US military options in the region. The Oval Office meeting occurs amid ongoing congressional scrutiny over the legality of US strikes against suspected drug vessels, which have resulted in more than 80 casualties, raising questions as the US is not officially at war with Venezuela.
