The Trump administration ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to head to U.S. Southern Command, prompting Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to accuse Trump of "fabricating a new eternal war." (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images; Getty Images)
Trump told reporters Friday on Air Force One a decision hadn't been made about whether he would strike military targets within Venezuela, Bloomberg News reported.
Additionally, the Miami Herald reported Friday that the administration had decided to conduct strikes against these military installations within Venezuela that could come "in a matter of days or even hours."
Both the Journal and the Miami Herald cited anonymous sources familiar with the plans.
The Herald reported that the pending strikes were part of a larger effort the Trump administration is initiating to crack down on the Cartel de los Soles, which Attorney General Pam Bondi has said Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro heads up.
The Trump administration does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state, and the administration beefed up the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, claiming he is "one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world."
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Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela's president, during a press conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, July 31, 2024. (Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
After news broke that the Ford would head to the region, Maduro accused Trump of "fabricating a new eternal war."
"They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war," Maduro said in a national broadcast on Friday.
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Even so, not all lawmakers are on board with Trump’s strikes in Latin America. Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution in October to bar U.S. armed forces from engaging in "hostilities" against Venezuela.
"The Trump administration has made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders and won't stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean," Schiff said in an Oct. 17 statement.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of War and has not yet received a response.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-responds-reports-trump-preparing-hit-military-targets-inside-venezuela