US President Donald Trump has confirmed reports that he authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in US efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

The New York Times first reported the classified directive, citing US officials familiar with the decision.

Trump said he authorised the action because large amounts of drugs were entering the US from Venezuela, much of it trafficked by sea.

“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” he said.

Asked why he did not have the US Coast Guard stop suspected drug trafficking boats, as has been US practice for decades, Trump called such efforts “politically correct” and said they had not worked.

“I think Venezuela is feeling heat,” Trump said.

However, he declined to answer when asked if the CIA had authority to execute Maduro.

Trump also accused Venezuela of releasing large numbers of prisoners, including individuals from mental health facilities, into the US. He did not specify which border they were crossing.

Neither Maduro’s Information Ministry nor press representatives for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado – who last week was named the 2025 Nobel peace prize winner – immediately responded to requests for comment on Trump’s remarks.

-AAP