Trump Warns Venezuelan Fighter Planes Could Be Targeted If They Endanger US Forces

President Donald J. Trump issued a blunt warning Friday that Venezuelan fighter jets risk being shot down if they endanger U.S. forces operating in the Caribbean.

The comments came after the Pentagon confirmed that two Venezuelan warplanes flew near a U.S. Navy destroyer in international waters earlier this week, a maneuver defense officials described as “highly provocative.” The encounter follows a decisive U.S. strike against a vessel tied to the Venezuelan-linked Tren de Aragua gang, leaving 11 suspected narcoterrorists dead.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump made clear he would not tolerate provocations from Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

“Well, I would say they’re gonna be in trouble,” Trump said. “We heard that happened, but it wasn’t really over, not like they described. But I would say general, if they do that, you have a choice of doing anything you want. OK? If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that you can, you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do.”

Pressed on how close the Venezuelan planes had approached, Trump kept it vague: “Well, I don’t want to talk about that. But if they do put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down.”

The Pentagon declined to provide further details, telling Newsweek there was “nothing new that we can provide” on the incident.

Trump had already announced the earlier strike via Truth Social, writing:

“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike.”

The Trump administration has formally designated Tren de Aragua — a transnational cartel blamed for mass murder, drug and sex trafficking, and other violent crimes across Latin America — as a foreign terrorist organization operating under Maduro’s control.

According to U.S. officials, the targeted vessel had been under surveillance for weeks before the strike, which was carried out by either a Special Operations helicopter or an MQ-9 Reaper drone. Reuters reported that the Pentagon is now preparing additional deployments, including F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, to strengthen counter-narcotics and counterterrorism operations in the region.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the president’s new doctrine of using military power against cartels.

“The president is very clear that he’s going to use the full power of America, the full might of the United States, to take on and eradicate these drug cartels, no matter where they’re operating from, and no matter how long they’ve been able to act with impunity,” Rubio said.

Rubio also suggested the interdicted vessel may have been headed for Trinidad or another Caribbean nation before ultimately feeding into networks bound for the United States.

The shift marks a sharp break from past administrations that relied on interdictions, seizures, and lengthy prosecutions. Trump’s July directive authorizing force against Latin American cartels designated as terrorists laid the foundation for Tuesday’s strike and the ongoing military buildup in the southern Caribbean.

By directly linking Maduro to the cartel’s activities, the administration has sent a message: America’s patience with Venezuela’s rogue regime — and its criminal proxies — has run out.