President Donald Trump recently denied reports that he deployed B-1 bombers to Venezuela amid escalating tensions with the South American country. But journalists are now proving him wrong in real time.
During a Thursday press gaggle, Trump was asked directly about the deployment of two B-1 Lancer jets, which the Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the day flew from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas toward the Venezuelan coast (though they remained in international airspace). The Journal cited both an unnamed U.S. official and flight tracking data to confirm the deployment.
"No, it's not accurate," Trump told CBS reporter Kathryn Watson when asked about the jets.
However, CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand fact-checked Trump's denial, writing: "They were easily viewable on flight radar and have been tracked by open source analysts for most of the day. At its closest point a B1 bomber was a little more than 50 miles from the Venezuelan mainland."
Bertrand also tagged fellow CNN reporter Avery Schmitz, who regularly tracks flight radar. Last week, Schmitz posted radar images of B-52 bombers flying near the Venezuelan coast, just 48 miles from a Venezuelan archipelago with several thousand residents.
On Thursday, Reuters reporter Idrees Ali reported that Trump suggested there could be "land action" in Venezuela soon, suggesting potential airstrikes on Venezuelan soil. However, as of Thursday there have been no formal plans announced to ramp up military operations in South America.
Trump has been vocal in his opposition to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, particularly as his administration is carrying out bombings of boats the president alleges are carrying drugs. To date, no details have yet been shared with Congress or the public beyond what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has relayed. In response to a reporter's question about Maduro's offer to have mediation sessions with the Trump administration, Trump has said that Maduro "doesn't want to f—— around with the United States."