Updated on December 17, 2025, at 9:24 pm EST
President Trump did not discuss plans for war with Venezuela during an evening address he gave on Wednesday. Earlier, Antiwar.com had reported, citing a high-placed source on Capitol Hill, that he would announce plans for military action against the country.
The address focused on criticism of the Biden administration and claims about the economy under the current administration. It came a day after he announced a “total and complete” blockade on “sanctioned tankers” going into and out of Venezuela, which came after US forces boarded and seized a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil.
The Trump administration has made clear that its goal is to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. According to earlier media reports, he has been briefed on several options, including strikes on government targets, sending in a special operations force to kill or capture Maduro, or deploying a larger force to capture airbases and oil fields.
Any attack on Venezuela without congressional authorization would be illegal under the Constitution. The House on Wednesday voted down a bipartisan War Powers Resolution aimed at blocking Trump from launching the war.