Trump Says Maduro Offered U.S. Full Access to Oil, Minerals: ‘He Doesn’t Want to F*** Around’
President Donald Trump didn’t mince words Friday when explaining why Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is suddenly looking to make major concessions to the United States. During a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump told reporters that Maduro “doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States.”
The blunt statement followed reports that the Maduro regime recently offered U.S. companies preferential access to all current and future oil and gold projects in Venezuela. According to The New York Times, the proposal would have seen Washington receive exclusive contracts in exchange for diplomatic thawing and a pause on military pressure.
Maduro’s offer, reportedly made during quiet talks with Trump administration officials, included a promise to stop exporting Venezuelan oil to China and to significantly cut ties with Chinese, Iranian, and Russian firms operating in Venezuela’s energy and mining sectors.
Despite the sweeping offer, Trump confirmed that he called off the negotiations last week. He reportedly instructed special envoy Richard Grenell to halt all diplomatic outreach, citing a shift toward more aggressive action. The U.S. has since escalated its military presence in the Caribbean and is now authorizing covert CIA activity in Venezuela.
“We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea under control,” Trump said Wednesday, referencing the administration’s crackdown on drug cartels operating under the protection of the Maduro regime. “A lot of Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea. So you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also.”
The Pentagon has deployed approximately 10,000 U.S. troops in the region, including forces stationed in Puerto Rico and aboard naval vessels. The operation is backed by eight U.S. Navy warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 fighter jets.
Flight tracking data also revealed that B-52 bombers have been flying close to Venezuelan airspace in recent days, a clear signal to Maduro that the U.S. isn’t bluffing.
Since September, the U.S. military has carried out at least six missile strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels off the coast of Venezuela. The attacks have killed more than two dozen alleged narcoterrorists. In the most recent strike on Thursday, some survivors were taken into custody by the U.S. Navy.
Trump’s comments and the increased pressure reflect a broader effort by his administration to dismantle the Maduro regime’s role in transnational narcotics and destabilizing regional alliances.
“We’re not looking to play games,” a senior White House official told Real News Now. “If Maduro thought this was going to be another drawn-out negotiation, he miscalculated. The president’s made it clear: no more stalling, no more hiding behind Russia or China.”