Donald Trump does not rule out use of US military force in Venezuela

US President Donald Trump said that the use of US military force in Venezuela is still on the table amid its ongoing political crisis and that he turned down a meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro several months ago.

The President's comments came in an interview taped Friday with CBS's in which he also declined to say what would cause him to use the military in Venezuela, noting only that "it's an option" for his administration.

When Trump was asked what would make him use military force in the country and what the national security interest for such action would be, he said, "Well, I don't want to say that, but certainly it's something that on the -- it's an option," Trump said.

Trump also said that Maduro asked to meet "a number of months ago," a request he said he denied.

"I've turned it down because we're very far along in the process," Trump said.