Trump made the remarks during an interview on WABC radio with major Republican donor John Catsimatidis. According to the president, a large plant or facility linked to incoming ships was knocked out.
“They have a big plant, or a big facility, where the ships come from. Two nights ago, we knocked that out. We hit them very hard,” Trump said.
Speaking later to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump added that a major explosion occurred in a dock area where boats were allegedly loaded with drugs, saying that what he described as an “implementation area” was no longer there.
When pressed on whether the operation was carried out by the US military or an agency such as the CIA, Trump declined to clarify.
“I know exactly who it was, but I don’t want to say who it was. It was along the shore,” he told CNN.
The comments come amid broader questions about the scope of the US campaign against Venezuela and its leader, Nicolás Maduro. In recent weeks, the United States has conducted strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, reportedly destroying dozens of boats, while also enforcing a blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment. It remains unclear which facility the president was referring to or where it was located, and there have been no confirmed reports from Venezuela of a major site being destroyed as described.
One US official said Trump appeared to be referring to a drug-related facility, but declined to provide further details. US officials have previously said potential targets could include drug production sites or known trafficking routes.
Trump has also authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela as part of efforts to increase pressure on the Maduro government. The CIA declined to comment on the president’s remarks.
Earlier, during a Christmas Eve phone call with US troops aboard the USS Gerald Ford, which was recently deployed to the Caribbean, Trump described the region as an “interesting place” and said the US would be “going after the land.”