President Donald Trump on Friday denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, appearing to contradict his own comments from last week and amid intensifying expectations that Washington may soon expand drug-trafficking-related operations.

The United States has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months, with fighter jets, warships and thousands of troops. That presence will significantly expand in the coming weeks with the arrival of the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group.

On Friday, when asked by reporters on Air Force One if media reports that he was considering strikes within Venezuela were true, Trump said: “No.”

It was not immediately clear if Trump was ruling out future strikes inside Venezuela or simply saying no final decision had been made

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