Tucker Carlson claimed Wednesday that members of Congress were recently briefed that President Donald Trump is preparing to announce that “war is coming,” raising eyebrows ahead of the president’s scheduled address to the nation later tonight.
Carlson made the remarks during an appearance on Andrew Napolitano’s Judging Freedom podcast, where the two discussed rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela, including recent U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats and Trump’s increasingly confrontational posture toward Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.
Napolitano asked Carlson directly whether Trump was preparing to launch a war against Venezuela. Carlson said he does not know the contents of Trump’s speech but relayed what he described as information coming from Capitol Hill.
“Here’s what I know so far, which is that members of Congress were briefed yesterday that a war is coming and it’ll be announced in the address to the nation tonight at nine o’clock by the president,” Carlson said. He added a note of caution, saying, “Who knows, by the way, if that’ll actually happen.”
Carlson said he was told about the alleged briefing earlier that morning by a member of Congress, though he did not name the lawmaker or provide further details about what the briefing entailed.
The former Fox News host made clear he opposes military action in Venezuela, arguing that the United States has repeatedly paid a high price for interventionist foreign policy. Carlson warned that another regime change effort would repeat mistakes of the past.
“There’s not been a regime change effort that’s benefitted the United States or the world in 80 years that I’m aware of,” he said, expressing skepticism about the wisdom of deeper military involvement in South America.
Trump, however, has sharply escalated his rhetoric toward Venezuela in recent days. The president has accused Maduro of running what he describes as a narco-terrorist smuggling operation and has long disputed the legitimacy of Maduro’s election victory, echoing concerns raised by U.S. and international officials.
“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping,” Trump announced this week. He said that, for those reasons and others, including drug smuggling and terrorism, Venezuela has been designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The administration’s actions have not been limited to Venezuela. Trump also issued a warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro after Petro criticized recent U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats. Trump suggested Petro could face consequences if he continues to oppose U.S. efforts to crack down on narcotics trafficking.
“He’s gonna have himself some big problems if he doesn’t wise up,” Trump told reporters. He accused Colombia of producing large quantities of cocaine that end up in the United States. “So he better wise up or he’ll be next,” Trump said.
Carlson’s comments added another layer of intrigue to Trump’s highly anticipated address, as supporters and critics alike await clarification on whether the president plans to formally announce military action or simply outline his administration’s hardline strategy toward hostile regimes in the region.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the White House had not confirmed Carlson’s claim about congressional briefings. Trump’s speech, scheduled for 9 p.m., is expected to shed more light on the administration’s next steps as tensions in the Western Hemisphere continue to rise.
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