President Donald Trump said the US military struck a “big facility” in Venezuela on Christmas Eve, marking a potential escalation in pressure on Caracas.
Trump was questioned about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday while speaking with talk radio host John Catsimatidis.
He didn't elaborate on the apparent military operation.
“We just knocked out, I don’t know if you read or you saw, they have a big plant or a big facility…where the ships come from,”
the Republican president said.
“Two nights ago we knocked that out, so we hit them very hard.”
When contacted, a Pentagon official directed inquiries to the White House, which did not immediately reply to a Monday request for comment.
Since the administration started its pressure campaign on the South American country some months ago, this would be the first known attack on land if the strike occurred within Venezuela.
At least 87 individuals have died as a result of the Pentagon's roughly two dozen strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean since September. The U.S. military has gathered warships off the coast of Venezuela at the same time.
In addition, the president has ordered the seizure of many oil tankers as part of a recently declared blockade off the coast and allowed the CIA to conduct covert operations within the nation.
The president has offered numerous explanations for his military actions.
The New York Times claims that although Venezuela is well-known for its involvement in drug trafficking, it is not a significant producer of illegal drugs. According to the DEA's 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, Mexico is one of the top producers of narcotics such as synthetic opioids, which account for the majority of drug overdose deaths in the United States.
Additionally, Trump has urged Maduro to resign from office, stating last week that it would be a "smart" move while warning him not to act "tough."
For his part, Maduro has accused the U.S. government of "fabricating a new eternal war" and denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade. Additionally, he has asserted that Trump's real goal is to remove him from office so that he may take control of Venezuela's enormous oil riches.
In reaction to Trump's military maneuvers, he has stationed troops, planes, and navy vessels along the coast and called on Venezuelans to unite against American aggression.
“The American people have no interest in stumbling into an illegal new war that would place the lives of our servicemembers at risk,”
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said in late November.
Democratic lawmakers have reacted negatively to the administration's unfriendly tactics in the region, with several calling them illegal.
Some Republicans have also voiced their objections, such as Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who called American strikes on suspected drug vessels "illegal execution."
However, a large number of Republicans have supported the president's actions. In November, Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma stated that Trump is
"protecting the United States by being very proactive."
The public's response has been divided. According to a November CBS News study, 53% of Americans support using military force to target ships suspected of smuggling drugs into the United States, but 70% stated they would be against using military force in Venezuela.
There have been other attacks carried out by Trump's government in recent weeks besides the ones that appear to have taken place in Latin America.
After ISIS was accused of targeting Christians, the U.S. military declared on Christmas Day that it had carried out deadly attacks against targets in Nigeria.
“We really hit them hard,”
Trump said on Friday.
“They got a very bad Christmas present.”
What evidence supports the claim of a US strike on Christmas Eve?
No independent substantiation confirms a U.S. service strike on a Venezuelan installation on Christmas Eve 2025; President Trump's December 29 claim relies solely on his radio interview statements without Pentagon, White House, or visual substantiation.
Caracas dismissed the assertion as" fabricated propaganda," reporting no explosions or irruptions, with satellite imagery from marketable providers showing no damage at suspected medicine labs or governance spots near Caracas or the Orinoco region.
Previous operations involved nonmilitary vetoes of" narco- subs" in the Gulf of Venezuela and drone surveillance, but these maritime sweats warrant on- land strike verification; judges suggest the claim may exaggerate boat seizures amid Trump'santi-Maduro crusade.