U.S. President Donald Trump said he was leaving the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table, according to an interview with NBC News published on Friday (December 19, 2025).
“I don’t rule it out, no,” he told NBC News in a phone interview.
Trump demands Venezuela pay for seized U.S. oil assets after calling for 'blockade'
Mr. Trump also said there would be additional seizures of oil tankers near Venezuelan waters, according to the interview. The U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week.
“If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of harbours,” he told NBC News.
