President Trump today continued his rhetorical campaign against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.

As a large American naval force sits in the waters off the coast, Mr. Trump sent a social media broadside last night against Maduro, which he reiterated today.

The U.S., he says, will actively blockade and seize vessels that had already sanctioned,

a move some critics have called an act of war.

Nick Schifrin starts our coverage.

In the Caribbean Sea, U.S. troops at the ready for a new mission with more targets.

American sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers.

Last night on truth social, President Trump promised to, quote, total and complete blockade of all sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers. Last night on truth social, President Trump promised to, quote,

total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela.

Just a blockade. I'm not going to let anybody going through that shouldn't be going through.

Already last week, the Coast Guard and military boarded and seized a tanker.

There are more than 30 such tankers off the Venezuelan coast, a ghost fleet of ships

that Venezuela has used to evade oil sanctions.

That pressures Venezuela's chief source of revenue.

There are estimates that 90 percent of the economy is based on oil exports.

And U.S. officials believe challenging that weakens Maduro's grip on power and could force

him to step down.

So how far would you go to take Maduro out of office?

I don't want to say that, but...

But you want to see him out?

His day is numbered.

A blockade is an act of war.

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