Trump Warns Venezuelan Fighter Planes Could Be Targeted If They Endanger US Forces
President Donald Trump warned Friday that Venezuelan planes could be shot down if they put U.S. forces in what he called a “dangerous position.”
The warning came after the Pentagon said two Venezuelan fighter planes flew near a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in international waters this week. The incident occurred as the United States expands its military presence in the southern Caribbean.
The latest escalation follows a U.S. strike on a vessel tied to the Venezuelan-linked Tren de Aragua gang. The administration said 11 people were killed in that operation.
The Pentagon described the flight of the two planes as “highly provocative” and cautioned Caracas not to interfere with U.S. counter-narcotics and counterterrorism operations.
Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office about the possibility of further encounters.
“Well, I would say they’re gonna be in trouble,” Trump said.
“We heard that happened, but it wasn’t really over, not like they described. But I would say general, if they do that, you have a choice of doing anything you want. OK? If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that you can, you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do,” he added.
Asked how close the Venezuelan planes had gotten, Trump declined to provide details.
“Well, I don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “But if they do put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down.”
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just gave orders to SHOOT DOWN any Venezuelan planes if they dangerously approach US warships
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 5, 2025
This comes after reports multiple Venezuelan fighter jets buzzed a US ship this week.
The Department of War doesn’t play! pic.twitter.com/kX8jTF9Vsm
The Department of Defense told Newsweek there was “nothing new that we can provide” on the incident.
Trump had previously announced the strike against the suspected Tren de Aragua gang’s vessel on Truth Social.
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” he wrote.
He said the group, a designated foreign terrorist organization operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, was engaged in mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and other violent crimes across the Western Hemisphere.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike,” Trump said.
The Pentagon is preparing additional measures, including the deployment of F-35 jets to Puerto Rico to bolster counter-narcotics operations, according to Reuters.
A senior U.S. official confirmed that either a Special Operations helicopter or an MQ-9 Reaper drone carried out the strike. The target had been under surveillance for weeks. A second official confirmed that additional strikes are planned.
In the past, U.S. missions focused on interdictions, seizures, and criminal cases.
Tuesday’s strike represented a sharp break from those tactics, using direct military force instead.
“The president is very clear that he’s going to use the full power of America, the full might of the United States, to take on and eradicate these drug cartels, no matter where they’re operating from, and no matter how long they’ve been able to act with impunity,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before departing Florida for Mexico.
Rubio, however, suggested the boat was likely bound for Trinidad or another Caribbean nation rather than the United States.
The strike followed a military buildup in the southern Caribbean after Trump signed a directive in July authorizing the Pentagon to use force against Latin American cartels designated as terrorist organizations.
Around the same time, the administration declared Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist group and accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading it.
