White House Says It Is 'Prepared To Use Every Element Of American Power' On Maduro Regime As Warships Move Towards Venezuela

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration "is prepared to use every element of American power" to deal with Venezuela following news that it is sending warships off its coast.

Speaking during a press briefing, Leavitt was asked if the administration was considering having "boots on the ground" in the South American country.

"President Trump has been very clear and consistent. He is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice," she began.

"The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela, it is a narco terror cartel. Maduro, in the view of this administration, is not a legitimate president. It's a fugitive head of a cartel who has been indicted in the U.S. for trafficking drugs into the country."

The statement follows a report by Reuters, which detailed on Monday that three Aegis guided-missile destroyers will arrive off the coast" of the South American country this week, officially to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

The outlet added that Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American cartels, many of which have been designated as global terrorist organizations.

In February, the Trump administration designated Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, and other groups as foreign terrorist organizations. More recently, the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles was added to the list, with the administration alleging it is led by authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his government.

The United States also recently doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million, citing drug trafficking charges. President Trump has signed a classified order authorizing the use of military force against these cartels, potentially opening the door to direct operations at sea and, in some cases, on foreign soil.

Maduro addressed the deployment of U.S. warships near its coast, saying "the empire has gone mad." He went on to say that the Trump administration is "fabricating extravagant lies" and "has regurgitated its threats to Venezuela's peace and stability," adding that millions of militia members will be mobilized to address the development.

"We'll guarantee sovereignty and peace in any circumstance that manifests itself over the next days, months and years. We will defeat American imperialism as it comes against our noble, peaceful and working people," he added.

Originally published on Latin Times

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Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, United States, Donald Trump