WASHINGTON, Nov 30 — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that he held a phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, though he refrained from sharing any details about the conversation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump acknowledged the exchange with a brief, “I don’t want to comment on it. The answer is yes.” When pressed on how the discussion went, he added only, “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly — it was a phone call.”
The disclosure comes amid Trump’s increasingly forceful rhetoric toward Venezuela, even as he leaves the door open to diplomatic engagement.
A day earlier, Trump declared that the airspace “over and around Venezuela” should be considered “completely closed,” offering no clarification and triggering unease in Caracas at a moment when Washington is intensifying pressure on Maduro’s administration.
Asked if his comments signaled imminent military action, Trump replied, “Don’t read anything into it.”
The Trump administration has been weighing a range of Venezuela-related measures, portraying Maduro as a key figure in drug trafficking operations that have harmed Americans — allegations the Venezuelan leader has strongly rejected.
Reuters has previously reported that U.S. options include efforts to unseat Maduro, with the U.S. military preparing for a new phase of operations following a significant buildup in the Caribbean and nearly three months of strikes on boats suspected of transporting drugs off the Venezuelan coast.
Human rights organizations have condemned the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings of civilians, while several U.S. allies have warned that such actions may violate international law.
Trump said he would review reports of a second Caribbean strike that allegedly targeted survivors during a September mission, noting he “would not have wanted such a strike.” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the operations as legal but “designed to be lethal.”
Addressing military personnel last week, Trump said the U.S. would “very soon” begin ground operations aimed at curbing alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking networks.
Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials have remained silent about the call. During a press conference on Sunday, National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez declined to comment on the matter, saying his briefing focused instead on a legislative inquiry into U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean.
