President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after chatting with troops by way of video from his Mar-a-Lago property on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Palm Seashore, Fla.
Alex Brandon/AP
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Alex Brandon/AP
The Venezuelan authorities has condemned President Trump’s assertion on Saturday calling for the airspace above Venezuela to be closed.
In a Fact Social submit, Trump mentioned “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
The Venezuelan authorities responded with an announcement saying Trump’s feedback violate worldwide regulation and are a “colonialist threat” to the nation’s sovereignty.
“No authority outside the Venezuelan institutional framework has the power to interfere with, block, or condition the use of international airspace,” the assertion mentioned.
As of Sunday afternoon, Flightradar24 reveals planes persevering with to fly in Venezuelan airspace.
This comes a day after the Senate and Home Armed Companies committees mentioned they’d examine the Pentagon after The Washington Publish reported that Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to kill all crew members aboard a ship suspected of smuggling medicine within the Caribbean in September. NPR has confirmed the Washington Publish’s reporting.
The navy has carried out a minimum of 21 strikes and killed a minimum of 82 individuals on alleged drug boats as a part of “Operation Southern Spear,” a marketing campaign that the Trump administration says is aimed toward tackling drug-trafficking.
Venezuela mentioned in its assertion that “such statements represent an explicit use of force, which is prohibited by Article 2, paragraph 4 of the U.N. Charter of the United Nations.”
Democrats have additionally strongly criticized the administration’s technique, saying the navy did not have sufficient proof that the boats have been carrying medicine earlier than conducting the strikes. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, instructed ABC’S This Week on Sunday it is potential the navy’s actions may very well be thought-about a “war crime,” and that Hegseth needs to be held accountable.
“They’ve never presented the public with the information they’ve got here,” Van Hollen mentioned, “But it could be worse than that, right? If that theory is wrong, then it’s plain murder.”
Nevertheless, Republican Senator Eric Schmitt, a member of the Armed Companies Committee, mentioned on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox Information that Trump is performing “well within his Article 2 powers” with regards to curbing drug smuggling by hanging the boats.
“I think it’s a two part strategy,” Schmitt mentioned. “One is to get rid of the precursors that are coming from China, and then take out the cartels that are distributing this and bringing it to the United States of America.”
Each Democrats and Republicans in Congress have expressed frustration at Trump’s stance on Venezuela, and that the Trump administration performed the strikes with out legislative approval.
“Trump’s reckless actions towards Venezuela are pushing America closer and closer to another costly foreign war,” Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer posted on X on Saturday, hours after Trump’s submit about Venezuelan airspace.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally, additionally posted on Saturday, saying “Reminder, Congress has the sole power to declare war.”
