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Trump says US is "looking at" a military base in Venezuela or elsewhere in South America

Asked by reporters on 1 October, President Trump said the US is "looking at doing a lot of things" and appeared open to a military base in Venezuela or South America. He also praised oil dealings with Venezuela.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Washington Examiner
Image: Just the News

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The story, neutrally told

President Donald Trump said on Thursday 1 October 2026 that the US is "looking at doing a lot of things" when asked about a US military base in Venezuela or elsewhere in South America. He did not announce a plan or commit to a base; the coverage describes his reply as leaving the door open. Trump said the US and Venezuela are "getting along very well" and called Venezuela "a great situation", saying the US is taking a lot of oil and both countries are making money.

He said the US will start filling its national strategic reserves with Venezuelan oil "for very little money". Trump spoke as he left the White House for Texas and Oklahoma, a month before the November midterm elections. Just the News, running a Center Square piece, says there are currently no US military bases in South America.

It links the question to a US agreement to build two bases in Greenland and to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Wednesday announcement of a new base in the US, the first in 40 years. The article uses the title Secretary of War. The piece says Nicolás Maduro and his wife were arrested at the start of the year, after which the US moved to build relations with Venezuela and its oil market. It notes Venezuela had earlier built ties with China, Russia and Iran and hosted drills with them in 2022. It also says the Trump administration has targeted "narco terrorists" around the Caribbean and South America for over a year.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left0 outlets

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Right2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets report Trump's remark as an openness to a base, framed as part of a close, profitable relationship with Venezuela. The Washington Examiner folds it into a roundup of Trump's pre-midterm trip remarks; Just the News frames it as part of a push to dominate the Western Hemisphere and counter adversaries.
Emphasis
Oil benefits, US influence in South America, Greenland and new US bases, and the threat of Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither reports reaction from Venezuelan authorities, experts or critics, or any detail on a concrete base proposal.
Charged language
“Donroe Doctrine”“former dictator”“narco terrorists”
For example
“Trump has sought to dominate power in the Western Hemisphere, being called the Donroe Doctrine, a play on the Monroe Doctrine.” — Just the News
“Trump made the comments as he departed the White House en route to Texas and Oklahoma” — Washington Examiner