In an interview for “60 Minutes” recorded on Friday but broadcast on Sunday, Trump addressed a number of foreign policy issues, including the possibility of striking Venezuela. When asked whether the United States would go to war with this country, he replied that he “doubts” and “doesn't think so.” He also added that Venezuela “treats the US very badly, not only in terms of drug smuggling, but also in sending illegal immigrants.”
When asked whether the country's leader Nicolas Maduro's days were numbered, he confirmed that he “thought so.” However, he refused to answer the question whether there would be attacks on Venezuela. When the interviewer asked why the largest American aircraft carrier and a strike group were sent to the Caribbean region, Trump replied that “it has to be somewhere.”
“It's a big art,” he added. He responded in a similarly ambiguous manner to the suggestion that sending an aircraft carrier and gathering forces around Venezuela suggested a plan to conduct a broader military operation.
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Trump also commented on his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. When asked whether he would use force in the event of an attack on Taiwan, the US president refused to give a clear answer, but stressed that Xi knew the answer.
– You'll see if it happens. And he (Xi) knows the answer to that, he said. He added that it was because he knew this answer during recent talks in South Korea. Xi did not address the issue of Taiwan.
The US president announces nuclear weapons tests. “Russia is testing, China is testing”
The US president also repeated his announcement to resume nuclear weapons tests, claiming that he would do it because Russia and China are secretly conducting similar tests. When the journalist pointed out that neither of these countries had conducted nuclear explosions and that Russia had recently tested missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but not the weapons themselves, Trump repeated that nuclear tests were carried out not only by Russia and China, but also by Pakistan.
— Russia is testing, China is testing, but they don't talk about it. You know, we are an open society […] they don't have reporters to cover it. We have. We will test because they test and others test. And North Korea certainly tested. Pakistan was testing, Trump said. — They test deep underground, where people don't know exactly what happens to the test. You feel a slight vibration. They test and we don't. We have to test, he added.
On Sunday, the energy secretary, who is responsible for nuclear weapons, told Fox News that the United States does not currently plan to resume nuclear tests involving nuclear explosions. He said that these tests will be systemic and non-critical, which suggests a continuation of current practice.
Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Trump expressed confidence that his approach to peace negotiations based on trade and economic interests will also have consequences for Russia.
— I think it works on Putin. It's different with him because, first of all, we don't do much business with Russia. He's not someone who buys much from us out of…stupidity. But I think he would like to. “I think he wants to trade with us and he wants to make a lot of money for Russia and I think that's great,” Trump said. He also repeatedly emphasized that “this is not his war”, but Joe Biden's “stupid” war.
Donald Trump speaks highly of the leaders of two countries. “Serious People”
Trump also praised the leaders of Russia and China, saying that they were intelligent and serious people.
– They're both tough. Both intelligent. They are both very strong leaders. These are people you shouldn't trifle with. These are people who need to be treated very seriously, said the American president. They don't come and say, “Oh, isn't it a beautiful day? Look how beautiful it is. The sun is shining, it's so nice.” These are serious people. These are people who are tough, intelligent leaders,” Trump added.
