Donald Trump repeatedly raised the possibility of invading Venezuela in talks with his top aides at the White House, according to a new report from the Associated Press. The president's musings about a US military intervention were more extensive and persistent than his public declaration last August, when he stated: "We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option, if necessary."
The previous day, Trump reportedly took his top officials by surprise in an Oval Office meeting, asking why the US could not intervene to remove the government of Nicolás Maduro on the grounds that Venezuela's political and economic unraveling represented a threat to the region. The suggestion stunned those present, including then national security adviser HR McMaster and secretary of state Rex Tillerson, both of whom have since left the administration.
Administration officials are said to have taken turns trying to talk the president out of the idea, pointing out that any such military action would alienate Latin American allies who had supported US policy of punitive sanctions on the Maduro regime. A grim-faced Tillerson stood alongside Trump the next day at his New Jersey golf course in Bedminster as the president warmed to his theme.
In the weeks that followed, Trump remained preoccupied with the idea of an invasion, according to AP. He raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and again at the UN General Assembly in September during a private dinner with allied Latin American states, where he asked the other leaders in turn if they were sure they did not want a military solution. McMaster finally succeeded in persuading Trump of the dangers, and the president's interest subsided.
The report highlights Trump's erratic approach to military intervention: while he has been insistent on bringing troops back from Syria and pushing to draw down troops in Europe, he has threatened other countries directly, including North Korea with "fire and fury" last year before later presenting military conflict as unthinkable after his summit with Kim Jong-un.
