“The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
The promise
On Thanksgiving Day 2025, Trump said the United States would “very soon” begin taking action against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land. This followed months of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Trump claimed the administration had already greatly reduced maritime trafficking and that land-based action would be easier. The statement was a significant escalation because land operations could imply strikes, covert action, interdictions, or other measures inside or near Venezuela. The promise was not carefully defined, and Trump did not provide operational details or legal justification. Reuters reported the comment as a planned expansion of the anti-drug campaign. Because there were already military actions at sea, the statement likely represented a real policy direction rather than only rhetoric. However, without transparent evidence and clear public confirmation of land operations by June 2026, the promise should not yet be marked kept. It remains in work, but it is high-risk legally and diplomatically.
