Trump Says He’ll Talk to Maduro but Won’t Rule Out Sending Troops to Venezuela

The president tells reporters he thinks the Venezuelan leader has caused ’tremendous damage' to the United States.

President Donald Trump, joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Carlos Cordeiro Senior Advisor to FIFA for Global Strategy and Governance, and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), delivers remarks during a meeting of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 17, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said Nov. 17 that he would be open to holding talks with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro but refused to rule out sending U.S. troops into Venezuela amid tensions over U.S. anti-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.

When asked at a press conference whether he would rule out the possibility of sending U.S. ground troops into Venezuela, Trump replied: “No, I don’t rule out that. I don’t rule out anything.”