WH leaves door open to US troops on ground in Venezuela: ‘Many options on president’s table’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Trump invited his top national security officials into the Oval Office on Monday. 

The White House is not ruling out the possibility of sending US troops into Venezuela as the Pentagon’s show of force near the South American nation grows louder.

“I will confirm that the president will be meeting with his national security team on this subject, and on many matters,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked whether Team Trump would discuss a “final decision” on how far Washington is willing to go with Nicolas Maduro.

Leavitt kept details vague. “He meets with his national security team quite often,” she said. “He’s the commander-in-chief; it’s part of his responsibility to ensure that peace is ongoing throughout the world.”

Inside the room, the president is expected to be joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, chief of staff Susie Wiles, and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, according to CNN.

US Navy's show of force grows as Trump considers his options

The Pentagon has quietly built a floating wall of steel and firepower off Venezuela, consisting of 11 warships, including an aircraft carrier, and 15,000 troops positioned in nearby waters. A Marine Expeditionary Unit is now parked close by like a loaded spring.

“The military’s job is to defend the homeland,” Secretary of the Navy John Phelan told Fox News on Saturday night. “That’s exactly what we’re doing, and we’re using our best assets to defend the homeland.”

So far, the US has kept operations aggressive but offshore. The war against Maduro’s narcoterrorist regime has played out mostly at sea, with American forces taking out drug-running vessels one after another. At least 83 Venezuelans trafficking cocaine and other narcotics have been killed in recent operations. But Trump has repeatedly said he hasn’t ruled out a land strike and has already instructed the CIA to run covert operations inside Venezuela.

“There’s many options at the president’s disposal that are on the table, and I’ll let him speak to those,” Leavitt said when pressed again on the possibility of sending troops into Maduro’s backyard.

Diplomatic pressure stalls as Nicolas Maduro rejects Trump’s ultimatum

Behind the scenes, the administration has been pursuing diplomatic efforts as well. Months of meetings with the Venezuelan strongman who allegedly “stole Venezuela’s last two elections” have made no progress.

“Strikes should have happened weeks ago. It’s now or never,” a source close to the Trump administration told the New York Post on Monday, December 1. “Maduro won’t go on his own. Just not going to happen.”

Trump reportedly issued Maduro a clear ultimatum during their recent call to step down. On Sunday, the president confirmed they had spoken. “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly; it was a phone call,” he told reporters. 

Neither government is releasing details about the November 21 conversation, but the Miami Herald describes it as a tense one. According to their sources, Trump delivered a “blunt message” as part of a four-month pressure campaign that included the massive naval blockade off Venezuela’s coast.

“You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now,” Trump reportedly told him, even offering safe passage for Maduro, his wife, and his son, but only if he agreed to resign “right away.”

Maduro pushed back. He allegedly demanded global immunity from prosecution and even floated the idea of giving up political authority while retaining control of the armed forces. After that frosty exchange, communications reportedly froze. There has been no direct follow-up call, though Maduro supposedly attempted to restart dialogue with a second request last weekend, shortly after Trump declared Venezuela’s airspace “closed in its entirety.”

“The Maduro government … received no response,” the paper reported, adding that Brazil, Qatar, and Turkey had brokered the initial call.