As a meeting last August in the Oval Office to discuss sanctions on Venezuela was concluding, President Donald Trump turned to his top aides and asked an unsettling question — with a fast unravelling Venezuela threatening regional security, why can’t the U.S. just simply invade the troubled country?
The suggestion stunned those present at the meeting, including U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom have since left the administration. This account of the previously undisclosed conversation comes from a senior administration official familiar with what was said.
In an exchange that lasted around five minutes, Lt. Gen. McMaster and others took turns explaining to Mr. Trump how military action could backfire and risk losing hard-won support among Latin American governments to punish President Nicolas Maduro for taking Venezuela down the path of dictatorship, according to the official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
But Mr. Trump pushed back. Although he gave no indication he was about to order up military plans, he pointed to what he considered past cases of successful gunboat diplomacy in the region, according to the official, like the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s.
The idea, despite his aides’ best attempts to shoot it down, would nonetheless persist in the President’s head.
The next day, August 11, Mr. Trump alarmed friends and foes alike with talk of a “military option” to remove Mr. Maduro from power. The public remarks were initially dismissed in U.S. policy circles as the sort of martial bluster people have come to expect from the reality TV star-turned Commander-in-Chief.
But shortly afterward, he raised the issue with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, according to the U.S. official. Two high-ranking Colombian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid antagonising Mr. Trump confirmed the report.
Then in September, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Mr. Trump discussed it again, this time at greater length, in a private dinner with leaders from four Latin American allies that included Mr. Santos, the same three people said and Politico reported in February.
Military solution
The U.S. official said Mr. Trump was specifically briefed not to raise the issue and told it wouldn’t play well, but the first thing the President said at the dinner was, “My staff told me not to say this.” Mr. Trump then went around asking each leader if they were sure they didn’t want a military solution, according to the official, who added that each leader told Mr. Trump in clear terms they were sure.
Eventually, Lt. Gen. McMaster would pull aside the President and walk him through the dangers of an invasion, the official said.
Taken together, the behind-the-scenes talks, the extent and details of which have not been previously reported, highlight how Venezuela’s political and economic crisis has received top attention under Mr. Trump in a way that was unimaginable in the Obama administration. But critics say it also underscores how his “America First” foreign policy at times can seem outright reckless, providing ammunition to America’s adversaries.
The White House declined to comment on the private conversations. But a National Security Council spokesman reiterated that the U.S. would consider all options at its disposal to help restore Venezuela’s democracy and bring stability. Under Mr. Trump’s leadership, the U.S., Canada and EU have levied sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials, including Mr. Maduro himself, over allegations of corruption, drug trafficking and human rights abuses.