President Donald Trump confirmed his call with Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro on Sunday night, but declined to provide details amid a report that he warned the dictator to leave to protect himself and his family.
The report comes from sources who told The Miami Herald that Trump warned: You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now.
"I don't want to comment on it. The answer is yes," Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One when asked whether he had spoken with Maduro.
Trump reportedly delivered a stark message to Maduro during the high-stakes phone call last week: He, his wife Cilia Flores, and his son would be granted safe passage out of Venezuela — but only if they left immediately, the Herald reported.
The call, brokered by Brazil, Qatar, and Turkey, was intended as a last-ditch diplomatic effort as Washington prepares to expand its military campaign against Venezuela's ruling cartel, but it quickly collapsed over irreconcilable demands.
According to sources, the U.S. rejected three key conditions sought by Maduro's inner circle: global amnesty for crimes Washington links to the Cartel de los Soles; a Nicaraguan-style transition that would allow the regime to retain control of the armed forces; and a delayed resignation timetable.
With no deal reached, Trump escalated pressure, declaring Venezuelan airspace "closed in its entirety" and warning that U.S. land-based operations targeting drug-trafficking networks would begin "very soon."
The ultimatum comes as the administration intensifies both its legal and military posture.
This week, the U.S. designated the Cartel de los Soles — which it says is headed by Maduro and top officials — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a move that could allow Trump to invoke sweeping counterterrorism authorities.
Meanwhile, a formidable U.S. force — including the USS Gerald R. Ford, more than 10 warships, a nuclear submarine, and F-35 jets — has gathered near Venezuela, fueling fears across the region that a direct confrontation may be imminent.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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