Former national security adviser John Bolton said on Monday that President Donald Trump has "put the gun on the table" in his showdown with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as Washington steps up military pressure while hinting at possible talks.
Bolton Questions Impact Of U.S. Boat Strikes
In an interview on CNN's "News Central," host Kate Bolduan asked Bolton whether recent U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats were stopping narcotics from reaching the United States and whether they would deter Maduro.
Bolton said traffickers will adapt. "Well, I think the drug smugglers can obviously see what's happening. It'd be stunning, as they do, that they don't shift their routes and find other ways to get drugs into the United States," he said, adding that U.S. demand for drugs ensures cartels keep looking for new avenues.
The one-time national security adviser argued the boat strikes reveal muddled goals inside the White House, saying the operation appears to blur a mission against narcotics with an effort to topple Maduro. He pointed to the decision to move the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group from Europe to the Caribbean as evidence of broader ambitions. He said Trump has now "put the gun on the table," leaving open the question of whether he intends to use it.
Carrier Deployment Deepens U.S. Military Pressure
The Pentagon's largest aircraft carrier and its escorts arrived off Latin America last week as part of a wider buildup in the U.S. Southern Command region, which officials publicly frame as a campaign against "narcoterrorist" networks.
Since September, U.S. forces have carried out more than a dozen strikes on suspected drug-running vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 80 people, according to U.S. and media tallies.
Talks Floated As Maduro Calls For Peace
Even as the military footprint grows, Trump has floated diplomacy. "We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we'll see how that turns out. They would like to talk," he told reporters on Sunday in Florida, as per Reuters.
Maduro, who denies U.S. accusations linking his government to drug cartels, last week urged Trump to "unite for the peace of the continent," speaking to CNN, amid deployments by both countries in the Caribbean.
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