Trump Holds High-Stakes Oval Office Venezuela Meeting/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump is holding a high-level Oval Office meeting on Venezuela, focusing on recent military actions and escalating tensions. Top defense and national security officials will attend as the U.S. ramps up “Operation Southern Spear” in the Caribbean. Lawmakers are raising legal concerns over deadly U.S. strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug vessels.
Trump’s Venezuela Strategy Meeting Quick Looks
- Trump convenes Oval Office meeting Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
- Meeting addresses military escalation and drug interdiction efforts in Venezuela.
- Attendees: Pete Hegseth (Defense), Gen. Dan Caine (Joint Chiefs), Marco Rubio (State).
- Over 15,000 U.S. troops and a dozen warships deployed in the Caribbean.
- U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats have killed over 80 people.
- President warns airlines, pilots, and cartels to avoid Venezuelan airspace.
- Trump confirms phone call with Maduro, but offers no details.
- Maduro’s regime labeled a foreign terrorist organization last week.
- Some lawmakers suggest follow-up strikes on survivors may be war crimes.
- Senate Armed Services Committee plans to investigate command chain orders.
Deep Look: Trump to Hold Oval Office Meeting Amid Venezuela Tensions and Strike Controversies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump will host a critical Oval Office meeting Monday evening to review the administration’s next moves in Venezuela, amid rising international concern over U.S. military strikes and escalating operations in the region.
Sources familiar with the planning told CNN that the meeting is set for 5 p.m. ET, with top members of Trump’s national security team expected to attend. The discussion follows an intensification of the U.S. military’s posture near Venezuela, including recent lethal strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels that have triggered bipartisan outrage in Congress.
Who’s Attending the Oval Office Briefing?
Expected to join the president in the meeting are:
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
- Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller
This core group will brief the president on Operation Southern Spear, a major military effort that has seen the deployment of over 15,000 U.S. troops and more than a dozen warships to the Caribbean. The Pentagon says the mission is aimed at cutting off narcotics routes and curbing what it calls “transnational criminal threats.”
Strategic Expansion and Maduro Sanctions
Trump has recently signaled a hardening stance on Venezuela. Just last week, the U.S. formally designated Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and key allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization, potentially giving Washington broader legal justification for military actions inside the country.
In a social media directive over the weekend, Trump warned airlines, pilots, and transnational criminal groups to avoid Venezuelan airspace, fueling speculation about further military operations.
Although Trump confirmed he had spoken with Maduro by phone, he declined to share what was discussed. Still, the designation of Venezuela’s leadership as terrorists signals a significant escalation in U.S. policy.
Controversial Strikes Spark Legal Alarm
The Oval Office meeting also comes on the heels of a controversial U.S. strike on an alleged drug vessel, which has left over 80 people dead and triggered fierce legal backlash. Lawmakers, including members of Trump’s own party, are questioning the legality and proportionality of the actions.
AP recently reported that the military conducted a follow-up strike on a vessel after an initial attack failed to eliminate all passengers on board — a move some are calling “a war crime.”
Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned Monday:
“If the facts are, as have been alleged, that there was a second strike specifically to kill the survivors in the water — that’s a stone-cold war crime. It’s also murder.”
King confirmed that Congress intends to investigate the chain of command, including reviewing the specific orders issued by Defense Secretary Hegseth and how they were carried out.
“We’re going to be talking to people, all the way up to the top of the chain of command and down to the people that actually triggered that attack,” King told CNN.
Broader Implications
This Oval Office meeting is shaping up to be one of the most consequential national security briefings of Trump’s second term. The Venezuela situation poses diplomatic, legal, and military challenges, with lawmakers increasingly concerned about unchecked executive military authority.
It also adds to the political pressure facing Trump’s national security apparatus as international scrutiny and domestic criticism over civilian casualties in the strikes grows.
What’s Next?
As of now:
- The U.S. is not officially at war with Venezuela, raising constitutional questions over the scope of current military actions.
- No formal declaration of war or Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) has been passed by Congress.
- Calls are intensifying for a congressional inquiry into both the legality of the strikes and the administration’s broader Venezuela strategy.
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