President Trump stated in a recent telephone interview that he does not rule out initiating military action against Venezuela. “I don’t rule it out, no,” the president said.

On Tuesday, Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating economic pressure on Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. had recently seized an oil tanker captured near Venezuelan waters.

The administration’s campaign has already led to 28 boat strikes that have killed more than 100 people, including a “double tap” strike under congressional review.

During the interview, Trump indicated he did not discuss whether such actions could lead to war but confirmed it was a possibility. When pressed for details, he stated there would be additional oil tanker seizures and noted: “It depends. If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbors.”

Trump also declined to specify whether removing Maduro from power is his ultimate objective.

Earlier this week, the president declared: “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.”

Trump further ordered: “A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.”

Trump stated that Maduro “knows exactly what I want” and added, “He knows better than anybody.”

In an interview last week, the president described Maduro’s “days as numbered” but remained vague on whether U.S. troops might enter Venezuela, saying: “I wouldn’t say that one way or the other.”

A recent Quinnipiac poll shows 63 percent of Americans oppose military action inside Venezuela and 53 percent reject the administration’s strategy of using naval strikes to target suspected drug traffickers.