'War is coming': Tucker Carlson issues bold claim regarding Trump’s address to the nation

WASHINGTON, DC: Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has made a dramatic claim about what President Donald Trump might announce in his scheduled televised address to the nation on Wednesday, December 17. 

Carlson indicated that developments involving Venezuela may be addressed in a major way. He sparked intense online speculation after suggesting that Trump could announce a major escalation, possibly even war,  during his upcoming address to the nation.

This claim comes amid sharply rising tensions between the US and Venezuela as military activity increases around the South American nation’s coast.

Tucker Carlson raises claim ahead of  Trump’s address to the nation

Carlson, sparked speculation by asserting that Trump may use his address to declare war on Venezuela. Carlson claimed the president may use the address to outline a dramatic shift in US foreign policy, particularly involving Venezuela. However, Carlson acknowledged that his remarks were speculative and not based on confirmed information.

“War is coming,” Carlson said, before adding that he did not know for certain what Trump would announce during the address.

He made this statement on the 'Judging Freedom' podcast, saying that "What I know so far is that members of Congress were briefed yesterday that a war is coming and it may be announced in the address to the nation tonight at nine o’clock by the president." 

Carlson was cautious in his language about the certainty of this claim, “Who knows if that will actually happen. I don’t know. And I never want to overstate what I know, which is pretty limited in general.”

Referring to where the information originated, he was tight-lipped as he only said, “But a member of Congress told me that this morning.”

Trump on Wednesday, December 17, criticized previous administrations for failing to take stronger action against Venezuela and said his goal was to have “getting land, oil rights, whatever we had” returned by the Venezuelan government.

While speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, he further said, “They took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn’t watching. But they’re not going to do that again.”

As of Wednesday evening, no official statements from the White House or the Pentagon have indicated that Trump plans to announce military action during the address. However, Trump did preview a bit of his message to the reporters at Dover Air Force Base saying that he would be talking about how he 'inherited a mess' in his second term as president. 

Trump has previously framed his foreign policy approach as one focused on “strength through deterrence,” while criticizing what he describes as instability inherited from the previous administration.

What time will Trump address the nation?

Trump is set to address the nation at 9 pm ET in a live speech from the White House on Wednesday, December 17 night, with his remarks coming at a critical moment as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.

He announced the address in a social media statement but did not specify the topic he would address.

US forces previously have taken control of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, signaling a significant escalation in Washington’s campaign against the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump said the tanker was “the largest one ever seized”.

Video released by the US government showed armed personnel boarding the ship, while Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel had been used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

The Venezuelan government quickly condemned the move, labeling it an act of “international piracy” with Maduro stating that Venezuela would never become an “oil colony.”