Washington DC - President Donald Trump warned that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's "days are numbered" amid growing speculation that the US may soon launch a ground invasion.

Trump reiterated his view that Maduro cannot be allowed to remain in power in Venezuela during a sit-down interview with POLITICO published on Tuesday.

"I want the people of Venezuela to be treated well," Trump told POLITICO reporter Dasha Burns. "I want the people of Venezuela, many of whom live in the United States, to be respected. I mean, they were tremendous to me."

"They're incredible people, and they were treated horribly by Maduro," Trump continued, referring to Venezuelan immigrants in the US.

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When pushed on whether he wants to see Maduro removed, Trump affirmed that "his days are numbered" and refused to rule out troops on the ground as a way to enact regime change.

Burns asked Trump whether his desire to see Maduro overthrown has more to do with his claims of drug trafficking than concerns surrounding the Venezuelan leader's shocking human rights record.

"Yeah, well, they do send lots of drugs. Those boats come in largely from Venezuela, so I would say that's a significant... and you can see the drugs," Trump said.

The Trump administration has bombed dozens of ships off the coast of Venezuela, as well as in the East Pacific, based on accusations that they are trafficking drugs into the US. Washington has not provided evidence to back up the claims.

As a huge number of US aircraft carriers and military ships gather in the Caribbean, Trump has repeatedly suggested that these strikes may escalate to a full-blown land attack.

"You probably noticed that people aren't wanting to be delivering by sea, and we'll be starting to stop them by land," Trump said in November. "That's going to start very soon."