Trump says he's "sort of" made up his mind on Venezuela as top officials mull options

President Trump said Friday he's "sort of" decided however to proceed connected Venezuela, arsenic top officials measurement imaginable subject operations successful the Latin American country.

"I benignant of person made up my mind" astir the administration's adjacent steps successful Venezuela, helium told CBS News aboard Air Force One, but "I can't archer you what it would be."

Top Trump medication officials, subject and elder unit gathered astatine the White House for astatine slightest the 3rd time successful a enactment Friday to sermon imaginable subject operations successful Venezuela, according to sources acquainted with the matter.

Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among those who spoke with Mr. Trump astatine the White House connected Friday, the sources said.

Venezuela was discussed arsenic portion of the president's regular quality briefing connected Wednesday. CBS News has previously reported that Hegseth, Caine and different subject officials presented Mr. Trump connected Wednesday with options for imaginable operations successful Venezuela successful the coming days, including imaginable strikes connected land.

Caine and others besides briefed the president connected Thursday. Friday's league included a larger group, the sources said. 

At this point, the U.S. has not briefed allied countries connected its precise intentions regarding Venezuela, 2 Western allies told CBS News.

The U.S. has asserted that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is complicit with equipped transgression gangs that smuggle drugs into the U.S., allegations that Maduro has rejected. And implicit the past 2 months, the U.S. subject has conducted strikes against astatine slightest 21 vessels it alleges were ferrying drugs from South America to the U.S., sidesplitting astatine slightest 80 people.

But immoderate Western European countries with interests successful Latin America person said they bash not person circumstantial accusation straight linking Maduro to immoderate cartel, contempt U.S. assertions and a 2020 national indictment claiming Maduro is simply a apical narco trafficker. 

Earlier this week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the U.S. strikes interruption planetary instrumentality and instrumentality of the sea. 

"We person observed with interest the subject operations successful the Caribbean region, due to the fact that they interruption planetary instrumentality and due to the fact that France has a beingness successful this portion done its overseas territories, wherever much than a cardinal of our compatriots reside," Barrot said successful Ontario, astatine the G7 acme of overseas ministers.

Earlier this week, the USS Gerald R. Ford bearer onslaught radical entered the U.S. Southern Command's country of responsibility. Southern Command is the superior combatant portion for operations successful the Caribbean and South America. 

The Ford joins a flotilla of destroyers, warfare planes and peculiar operations assets that are already successful the region.