Trump to Address Nation After Announcing Venezuelan Blockade

On Tuesday, President Trump announced a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going in to, and out of, Venezuela. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Venezuela’s illegitimate president, Nicolás Maduro (Who lost the Venezuelan presidential election in 2024 but refused to give up power), is using illegally obtained oil to “finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping.” Available evidence suggests this is true, and illegally obtained oil plays a significant role in funding Maduro’s well documented crimes. However, as long as the ships in question are properly registered to a foreign nation, the U.S. military does not have a strong legal foundation for implementing a blockade without approval from Congress. Sanctions alone do not give the U.S. authority to board and seize foreign ships.

Trump is scheduled to address the nation at 9 p.m. Eastern time tonight, but details about his remarks have not be released. Tucker Carlson, speaking on the Judging Freedom Podcast, said members of Congress were briefed yesterday that a war is coming, and that Trump is expected to formally announce the war tonight. This has not been verified, and the nature of Trump’s remarks tonight are still unknown.