Carrier USS Ford Holding Off Of North Africa As Trump Reportedly Won’t Strike Venezuela
The supercarrier, ordered to the Caribbean by Trump, has not moved significantly toward that area for two days.
Howard Altman
Updated Nov 6, 2025 5:24 PM EST
Though ordered to the Caribbean as part of the ongoing counternarcotics mission, the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier is holding off the coast of Africa.
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Two days after passing through the Strait of Gibraltar en route to the Caribbean, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has not moved significantly from a position just west of Morocco in North Africa, the Navy confirmed to us Thursday. The flattop and elements of its strike group were ordered by President Donald Trump to join the ongoing enhanced counter-narcotics mission in the region, but it is unclear if plans have changed.
The relatively static position of the Ford and at least two of its escorts comes as reports are emerging that the Trump administration has decided, for now, not to carry out land strikes against Venezuela. It is unknown at the moment if there is a correlation, and the possibility remains that the carrier could still soon sail westward. We have reached out to the White House for clarification.
The Trump administration on Wednesday told Congress it is holding off for now on strikes inside Venezuela out of concern over the legal authority to do so, CNN reported on Thursday. The briefing was conducted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and an official from the White House’s Office of Legal Counsel, the network reported, citing sources familiar with the events.
https://www.twz.com/sea/uss-ford-holding-off-north-africa-as-reports-emerge-trump-wont-strike-venezuela-for-now
