“I don’t rule it out, no,” Trump told NBC News when asked about the possibility of war.
The Trump administration has intensified its campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, accusing his government of wrongdoing and demanding that Caracas “return all the oil they previously stole from us.”
The United States, under President Trump, has escalated its pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela. This includes the recent seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast and a series of airstrikes over several months on vessels which the administration claims are transporting narcotics toward the United States via the Caribbean Sea.
More than 100 people have been killed in 28 such strikes, including one so-called “double tap” strike that has drawn condemnation from several members of Congress.
Asked whether there was a timetable for future tanker seizures, Trump said: “It depends. If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbors.”
Meanwhile, Trump declined to say whether removing Maduro from power was his objective, saying the Venezuelan leader “knows exactly what I want, he knows better than anybody.”
The comments come as Trump faces scrutiny over a large US military buildup near Venezuela, despite having pledged to be a “President of Peace” when he took office.
Trump was recently awarded a newly created but widely criticized FIFA Peace Prize.
Announcing the blockade earlier this week, Trump said: “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
He did not specify what oil, land or assets the White House believes Venezuela has taken from the United States, the report added. 
MA/PR