White House Taunts Venezuela's Maduro As Military Pressure Intensifies: 'FAFO'

The White House taunted the Venezuelan regime on Friday, posting on social media a clip in which President Donald Trump acknowledged that Caracas offered preferential access to natural resources in exchange for defusing tensions.

The White House's X account posted a video of a question Trump took on Friday about the report. He confirmed it, saying "he (Maduro) has offered everything." "You know why? Because he doesn't want to f--k around with the U.S."

The report in question, published by The New York Times, claimed that the Trump administration was offered preferential access to the country's natural resources including oil, gold and other minerals.

The outlet noted that the offer involved an offer to open up all existing and future oil and gold projects to American companies and give them preferential contracts. It also proposed to reverse the flow of oil exports from China to the U.S. and slash energy and mining contracts with companies from China, Iran and Russia.

The offer remained on the table even as the U.S. began amassing troops in the Caribbean and officials called the regime "illegitimate" and a "fugitive from American justice." However, it ended after the country ended the diplomatic outreach.

The Trump administration has continued ramping up pressure over the week. On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that a Special Operations aviation unit has flown less than a 100 miles from Venezuela, yet another message to Caracas.

A U.S. official said the helicopters were conducting training flights and should not be taken as evidence of drills for a land assault into Venezuela.

However, report came a day after President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized the CIA to conduct lethal operations inside Venezuela, with officials telling The New York Times that the ultimate goal is removing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro from power.

Moreover, the Miami Herald reported on Thursday that the Trump administration rejected an offer by the Venezuelan regime to oust Maduro and undergo a transition.