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FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims as he discusses US raid to extract Venezuela's president

President Donald Trump on Saturday held an extended news conference to explain theU.S. raid on Venezuelato extract President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, at times veering off topic and repeating false claims around his initiatives.

In praising the military, Trump highlighted National Guard deployments into U.S. cities, making erroneous claims about crime in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles.

Here's a closer look at the facts.

TRUMP, discussing the impact of U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela: "Each boat kills on average, 25,000 people."

THE FACTS: Trump has previously made this claim suggesting that 25,000 American lives are saved with every alleged drug boat U.S strikes "take out." But the numbers don't add up and sometimes don't exist. For example, people in the U.S. who die from drug overdoses each year are far fewer than the number of people Trump suggests have been saved by the boat strikes his administration has carried out since September.

According to thelatest preliminary datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System, there were up to 76,516 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the 12-month period that ended in April 2025, down 24.5% from the up to 101,363 for the previous 12-month period.

The U.S. military has attackedat least 35 boatsin the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since strikes began on Sept. 2, most recently on Dec. 31. Using Trump's numbers, that would mean the strikes have prevented 875,000 fatal drug overdoses in the U.S — far more than the number of overdose deaths that have occurred in recent 12-month periods. This essentially implies that the administration is saving more lives than would have ever been lost.

Opioids accounted for 73.4% of drug overdose deaths in 2024,according to the CDC's State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System. That includes 65.1% from illegally made fentanyls. But while the boat strikes have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea, fentanyl is typically trafficked to the U.S.overland from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

TRUMP, discussing the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C.: "We haven't had a killing. We had the terrorist attack a few weeks ago, a little bit of a different kind of threat. But we haven't had a killing in a long period of time. Six, seven months."

THE FACTS: Trump has alsomade this false claimbefore. There have been59 homicidesin the past seven months, including two last week, according to the latest Metropolitan Police Department statistics.

That number also includes thefatal shootingof a West Virginia National Guard member on Nov. 26 by an Afghan national. Another Guard member was injured in the shooting, which FBI Director Kash Patel said was being investigated as anact of terrorism.

The city saw126 homicidesin 2025, 29 of whichoccurred afterNational Guard troops were deployed to the nation's capital on Aug. 11.

In launching the deployment, Trumpdeclared a public safety emergencyand said his administration also would be removing homeless encampments. He said he aimed to reduce crime, but the city's attorney general said violent crime in the district reached 30-year lows in 2024 and was down an additional 26% in 2025.

TRUMP, discussing National Guard deployments in Chicago and Los Angeles: "We also helped, as you know, in Chicago. Then crime went down a little bit there ... And likewise, Los Angeles, where — we saved Los Angeles early on."

THE FACTS: Guard members were never on the streetsin Chicagoas legal challenges played out. When the Chicago deployment was challenged in court, a Justice Department lawyer said the Guard's mission would be to protect federal properties and government agents in the field, not "solving all of crime in Chicago."

Between 2020 and 2024, homicides in Chicago were down 25%. However, rape increased 27%, while robbery went up 17% and aggravated assault up 11%.

Trump deployed about 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June to guard federal buildings and, later, to protect federal agents as they carried out immigration arrests.

The number of troops slowly dwindled until just several hundred were left. They were removed from the streets by Dec. 15 after a lower court ruling that also ordered control to be returned to Gov. Gavin Newsom. But an appeals court had paused the second part of the order, meaning control remained with Trump. In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration said it was no longer seeking a pause in that part of the order.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom.

Find AP Fact Checks here:https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

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January 03, 2026

FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims as he discusses US raid to extract Venezuela's president

President Donald Trump on Saturday held an extended news conference to explain theU.S. raid on Venezuelato extract Presid...

Trump says Cuba 'something we'll be talking about' after Maduro ouster

PALM BEACH — WithNicolás Maduro in U.S. custodyand American authorities running Venezuela, which is next? Cuba? Colombia? The Panama Canal?

The Havana regime is in his sights,President Donald Trumpsaid Jan. 3.

"Cuba is going to be something we'll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people," the president said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago a day after a U.S. military operation removed Maduro from Venezuela. "It's very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country."

The president also reiterated aggressive comments toward Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, who last month denigrated the Trump administration as a "clan of pedophiles" citing investigatory files from sex abuser and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump said Petro also is presiding over a state interwoven with the narcotics trade. The president then said he stood by assertions he made late last month that the South American leader needs to "watch his ass."

The globally strategic passageway in the Panama isthmus did not come up during the press gathering in the Winter White House but Trump has cajoled the Panamanian government about alleged Chinese domination of the canal. However, the Central American country's president, José Raúl Mulino, said on Jan. 2 that the brewing break with Washington was over and his government was actively cooperating with the United States to address grievances.

So it was mostly Cuba that Trump was interested in addressing in Palm Beach in discussing Operation Absolute Resolve to remove Maduro from the seat of power in Caracas.

"We want to surround ourselves with good neighbors," Trump said. "We want to surround ourselves with stability."

A photograph posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account shows him sitting next to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they watch the U.S. military operation in Venezuela from Trump's Mar a Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Florida, January 3, 2026.

The communist regime in Havana, now being led by Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been in power for 67 years. It celebrated another anniversary of the Fidel Castro-led revolution on New Year's Day.

"Cuba is, you know, not doing very well right now," Trump said. "That system has not been a very good one for Cuba. The people there have suffered for many, many years."

Now that the United States is "running" Venezuela, as Trump described it, the administration is in position to fully shut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba. The petroleum subsidies the Maduro regime has supplied Havana with were one of the few remaining sources of foreign aid the Cuban government has been able to count on.

That much was cheered by advocates for the end of communist rule on the island.

"The return of Venezuela to the rule of law and respect for human rights has international implications. The Cuban regime will no longer be able to benefit from Venezuelan oil," said Frank Calzon of the Center for a Free Cuba. "Iran, Russia, China Nicaragua and Cuba have lost a strategic ally in the Americas. And hopefully, with its huge oil resources properly managed, Venezuela great again."

The president's tough talk did not impress U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a West Palm Beach Democrat who represents Florida's congressional district 22 that includes Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

"There is no way to predict what this president will do," Frankel said. "That kind of rhetoric is dangerous and raises the risk of escalation across the hemisphere. The United States should lead with diplomacy and stability, not threats that make the region — and us — less safe."

Rubio: Cuba is in 'total collapse'

Asked by Trump to speak about the situation in the Caribbean island 90 miles from U.S. shores, Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that Cuba is a "disaster."

"It's run by incompetent, senile men, but incompetent, nonetheless," he said. "It has no economy. It's in total collapse."

Earlier, Rubio had said the administration "will talk with anybody" but warned adversaries against gamesmanship.

"Don't play games with this president because it's not going to turn out well," the former U.S. senator from Florida and son of Cuban exiles said. "I guess that lesson was learned last night and we hope it'll be instructive going forward."

Trump has long been engaged in Cuba foreign policy, and domestic U.S. politics. He is the only presidential candidate ever endorsed by the Bay of Pigs veterans organization, the Brigade 2506 Association, first in 2016 and then in 2020 and 2024.

During his first term, Trump traveled to the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Florida, to give a speech to announce he was rolling back the Obama administration's engagement policies and reopening of tourism and trade ties with the Cuban regime led at the time by Raúl Castro, Fidel's younger brother.

"The previous administration's easing of restrictions on travel and trade does not help the Cuban people — they only enrich the Cuban regime," Trump said during a June 16, 2017 speech at the Manuel Artime Theater. "The outcome of the last administration's executive action has been only more repression and a move to crush the peaceful, democratic movement."

The then-45th president added: "Therefore, effective immediately, I am canceling the last administration's completely one-sided deal with Cuba."

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him atafins@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post:After Venezuela raid, has Trump sets sight on regime change in Cuba?

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January 03, 2026

Trump says Cuba 'something we'll be talking about' after Maduro ouster

PALM BEACH — WithNicolás Maduro in U.S. custodyand American authorities running Venezuela, which is next? Cuba? Colombia?...

Venezuelans in South Florida mark Maduro's ouster as 'day of freedom'

Miriam Hidalgowoke at 3 a.m. on Jan. 3to the phone call the 66-year-oldVenezuelan-Americanhas waited decades to receive: The U.S. had taken Nicolás Maduro, her homeland's president, into custody.

The move filled the Palm Beach County, Florida, resident — who moved to the U.S. in 1995 to raise her two daughters away from the instability she felt brewing in the place she was born — with relief and joy.

"After 30 years living in this country, to see the government doing something so wonderful, it makes me so happy," Hidalgo said as she stood hours later with other supporters near Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate where PresidentDonald Trumpgave the order to make the military action happen.

Hidalgo was one of thousands of people across South Florida to stop and celebrate the ouster of a man whose government they say is marked by corruption, authoritarian tactics, widespread food shortages, the collapse of public services, hyperinflation and, U.S. prosecutors say, narco-terrorism.

'Today is the day of freedom'

Edgar Rodriguez got his call about the operation in Caracas two hours before Hildago. He stood in a sea of Venezuela's colors — red, blue and yellow — outside the El Arepazo restaurant in Doral, Florida, and said the ouster of the South American nation's strongman had him hoping that one day, he might return home.

"It's 26 years of a nightmare," Rodriguez, a coordinator for Vente Venezuela, the political party many say ousted Maduro from the presidency in the 2024 election. "So many innocent people have died. There are so many tortured political prisoners and families separated by people being forced to flee the country."

"Today is the day of freedom," Rodriguez added. "Today, that nightmare finally comes to an end."

The scene around Rodriguez grew more festive as more than 100 people descended on the restaurant, a landmark that stands about a mile northwest of Trump National Doral Miami golf club.

Some draped the Venezuelan flag on their backs, others held posters saying "Freedom for Venezuela" and "Until the end," and much of the crowd of more than 100 put their hands on their chests and sang their nation's anthem, "Gloria Al Bravo Pueblo," in unison.

"USA! USA! USA!" they chanted as they finished.

Even a timbalero showed up to entertain the crowd, ending his percussion show by screaming, "Que viva Venezuela libre!"Long live a free Venezuela.

"Que viva Venezuela," the crowd answered.

Opponents say Congress should have OK'd Trump Maduro plan

Not everyone who gathered near Mar-a-Lago did so to support President Donald Trump's decision. Some thought he should have sought the approval of Congress before ousting a foreign head of state. Trump in his remarks Jan. 3 said informing Congress could have led to the operation being leaked to reporters.

Paula McCleese, 74, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was one of nine protesters outside Trump's Palm Beach estate. They stood across the street from a crowd of Trump supporters about three times their size who wore MAGA hats and waved Venezuelan flags.

The group of nine joked that while they opposed Trump, they wouldn't mind if the leader of another country took a page from his book and brought the U.S. president into custody.

People cheer near Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, while President Trump has a press conference about US forces capturing Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro after bombing the capital Caracas on January 3, 2026.

"I am resisting this fascist regime that I've been forced to live under since 2016, with a little break from PresidentJoe Biden," McCleese said, holding a "Fight fascism" sign. "We are resisting the lawlessness of this presidency."

McCleese said her parents, whom she described as World War II survivors and Republicans, shaped her sense of civic responsibility and are "rolling in their graves." She added she was disappointed by the size of the demonstration but not surprised.

"I think people are in La La Land," she said. "They don't feel the threat."

Asked about the Venezuelan-Americans across the street who said they welcomed the recent development as a chance for peace for the country, McCleese disagreed.

"No, no, Venezuelan people should be fighting," she said. "What our leader did is break our own laws. Two wrongs do not make a right."

She added that, had Congress voted to approve the move, she likely would have supported it.

"We hate Trump!" shouted a man standing beside her. A passing driver shouted back: "We hate you!"

Some Venezuelans would return to a free, prosperous nation

By noon, two groups of Trump supporters had appeared outside of Mar-a-Lago. One waved American flags, wore MAGA hats and screamed invectives at the small gathering of protestors across the street. The protesters screamed back, trading insults and curses as cars honked between them.

The other group, a minute's walk west, showed less anger and more euphoria. They held Venezuelan flags, laughed, embraced, sang in Spanish and chanted: "Free Venezuela, free Venezuela, finally Venezuela is free!"

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals had fled to the United States, receiving Temporary Protected Status to live and work here. Trump's administration is in the process of removing that status, potentially leaving many of them without valid work permits and subject to deportation.

Some said they would be glad to go home to a free and safe Venezuela. Lisbeth Garcia stood outside of El Arepazo holding a banner of Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who many believe defeated Maduro in the 2024 election. It read: "Venezuela is our only option."

"We are all in jubilee here in Doral," Garcia said. "We have renewed hope that we will have a prosperous Venezuela that will welcome all of us who left home."

Hidalgo credited President Donald Trump for what she described as decisive action against Maduro's government. She urged Americans who oppose U.S. involvement abroad to reconsider.

"Without this help, there will be no change," she said. "Without help, Venezuela will never be free. Just like Cuba."

Valentina Palm covers immigration and the western communities of Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her atvpalm@pbpost.com.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her athphillips@pbpost.com.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him atafins@pbpost.com.Support local journalism:Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post:Venezuelans in South Florida mark Maduro's ouster as 'day of freedom'

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January 03, 2026

Venezuelans in South Florida mark Maduro's ouster as 'day of freedom'

Miriam Hidalgowoke at 3 a.m. on Jan. 3to the phone call the 66-year-oldVenezuelan-Americanhas waited decades to receive: ...

Manny Carabel/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Shonda Rhimes thinks one of her iconic characters needs a "year of yes"
Rhimes' memoir tells the story of the year that she decided to challenge herself to fight her introverted instincts and say "yes" to everything that scared her
She is responsible for bringing hit shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Bridgerton and How to Get Away with Murder to life

Shonda Rhimesis known for putting her TV characters in some tense situations — but there is a specific one she believes would need a "year of yes" more than the others.

Speaking at the Shonda Rhimes in Conversation with Robin Roberts:Year of Yesat 92NY event this year, the Shondaland founder, 55, reflected on her 2015 memoir,Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person,and revealed which of her television characters would most need to follow her own wisdom.

"Olivia Pope," Rhimes said, referring to the main character ofScandal,played byKerry Washington.

"She lives by a lot of rules. She's had a tough life," the showrunner continued. "I think she could really benefit from a 'yes.' "

Mitch Haaseth/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Rhimes' memoir tells the story of the year that she decided to challenge herself to fight her introverted instincts and say "yes" to everything that scared her.

Reflecting on the book 10 years after its release, theGrey's Anatomy,BridgertonandHow to Get Away with Murdercreator said one of the biggest lessons she learned from the memoir was "saying yes to uncomfortable conversations."

"That one I've carried with me forever," she told Roberts, 65. "I think because I was a person who ran from any kind of conflict. And when you run from conflict, basically you spend a whole bunch of time dealing with the results of the fact that you've not said the thing that needed to be said."

"So now, 10 years later, ... I say the hard thing first, as the first part of the sentence," Rhimes continued.

Manny Carabel/Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

The entertainment icon further explained that she tries to come "right outta the box" with the things she needs to say.

"I say it, you know, whether it's, 'You can't work here anymore,' or, 'This relationship's not working,' or 'You've asked for too much too many times,' " she said. "Or to my daughter, 'You're not getting a nose ring no matter what you say.' "

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For Rhimes — amother of three— the 10-year anniversary ofYear of Yesalso gave her a chance to revisit the book for the first time in a while.

"Just like anybody else who hadn't read the book in a long time, I sat down and I reread what I had written, and my heart went out to that person," she said. "My heart went out to that woman who was so closed off and so shy."

"I could feel the pain that I clearly was feeling at that time, and it made me realize that there's been so much going on in the 10 years since that I almost don't recognize the person at the end of the book," Rhimes added.

She continued, "People say to me that I seem lighter and more just more comfortable in my own skin, I think. And maybe I'm having a lot more fun."

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Personis available to purchase, wherever books are sold.

Read the original article onPeople

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Shonda Rhimes Reveals Which of Her Iconic TV Characters She Thinks Needs to Take Part in a 'Year of Yes'

Manny Carabel/Getty NEED TO KNOW Shonda Rhimes thinks one of her iconic characters needs a "year of yes" Rhimes' memoir tel...

Unique Nicole/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Dave Franco said he "roped" Mason Thames into starring with him in another movie after working together in Regretting You
The pair are set to star in The S---heads, a comedic film which also stars O'Shea Jackson Jr., Franco revealed
As for Thames, he said that he considered Franco a "mentor"

Dave FrancoandMason Thamesare continuing to build their bond after working on their filmRegretting You.

Franco, 40, revealed that he had the idea for him and theBlack Phone 2actor, 18, starring together in another film after bonding on the set of the rom-com film based on theColleen Hoovernovel of the same name.

"I had such a great time working with him on [Regretting You] that I roped him into another movie," Franco told PEOPLE at the New York City screening ofRegrettingYou in October, adding that their next film together was "the complete opposite tone" from their first.

In theThe S---heads, Franco is set to play a cynical degenerate named Mark who is paired withO'Shea Jackson Jr.'s David to take part in a shady transport job to transport a wealthy troubled teen named Sheridan (Thames), to rehab, according to a synopsis of the film fromDeadline.

Bryan Bedder/Getty

However, the trip goes awol with Sheridan's influence and the group ends up having to deal with "drug-fueled disasters, near-death experiences and criminal encounters."

"It was incredible seeing [Thames] go from this like sweet, earnest, charming guy in this film, and then arguably the craziest psychopath on screen since Hannibal Lecter inThe S---heads," Franco said.

TheNow You See Mestar went on to say that he didn't need to give as "much" advice to Thames, who made his film debut in 2022'sThe Black Phoneand has since gone on to have three No. 1 films at the box office in 2025, perVulture.

"[Thames] doesn't need much [advice]. He's on such a good path. He's got a great head on his shoulders," Franco said.

The respect and admiration for each other's craft goes both ways. TheHow to Train Your Dragonstar told PEOPLE that he thought of Franco as a sort of "mentor" figure after starring in two films together.

"Genuinely I think Dave is, he is my mentor, and I look up to him so much," Thames said. "His work ethic is unlike a lot I've seen in my small, tiny little career so far."

Eric Charbonneau/Paramount Pictures via Getty

"But, um, yeah. Gotta love some Dave," he added with a laugh.

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Franco and Thames aren't the only ones who formed a close friendship onRegretting You.Allison Williams, 37, previously gushed about getting to work with actressMckenna Grace, 19, who plays her daughter in the film.

"She's so smart and talented and sweet and kind, and she' just the consummate professional, but she's also just enthusiastic and genuine and interested. She was just a dream collaborator," she added. "We had so much fun together. It was very natural, honestly."

Read the original article onPeople

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January 03, 2026

Dave Franco ‘Roped’ Mason Thames into Working Together on Another Movie: ‘He’s on Such a Good Path’ (Exclusive)

Unique Nicole/Getty NEED TO KNOW Dave Franco said he "roped" Mason Thames into starring with him in another movie after working...

Colin Mochriecanceled several of his comedy tour dates amid a medical emergency: a detached retina.

On Friday, January 2, theWhose Line Is It Anywaystar, 68, took toInstagramwith a sad update in a joint post withHyprov(improv under hypnosis) and his costar, hypnotist Asad Mecci.

"We regret to inform you that our upcoming shows will be postponed due to a medical situation involving Colin Mochrie," the message began. "Colin has been diagnosed with a detached retina and will be undergoing emergency eye surgery today. His medical team is optimistic about his full recovery, but he needs time to rest and heal."

After sharing details about rescheduling shows, the message continued, "Colin is incredibly grateful for your support and well wishes. He looks forward to being back on stage and sharing many more laughs with all of you in the near future. Thank you for your understanding."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis (@hyprov)

In the comments, Instagram users showered Mochrie with well-wishes and support. One fan shared, "Sending him all the healing vibes and wishing him a speedy recovery!!"

Another wrote, "Take as much time as you need, Colin. Hope for a quick recovery, and everything goes well for you."

Someone else echoed, "So sorry, Colin! Praying that you feel much better soon! Sending love and healing light to you!"

A different Instagram user commented, "Holy cow, heal up quick@colinmochrie7591

Meanwhile, yet another follower joked, "I'll have an eye out for you when you are back on stage."

Mochrie starred in the original British version ofWhose Line Is It Anyway?, hosted by Clive Anderson, from 1989 to 1999, before joining the original American run of the show — hosted byDrew Careyand also starringRyan StilesandWayne Brady— from 1999 to 2005. He also starred in the revival series hosted byAisha Tylerfrom 2013 to 2024.

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January 03, 2026

‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ Star Colin Mochrie Has Medical Emergency, Cancels Tour Dates

Colin Mochriecanceled several of his comedy tour dates amid a medical emergency: a detached retina. On Friday, January 2, theWhose Line Is...

Watch Anderson Cooper react to Taylor Swift's 'Wood' during NYE event

Taylor SwifthadAnderson Coopergiggling like a teenage girl on New Year's Eve as he read the lyrics to the singer-songwriter's spicy song "Wood" from her recent album "The Life of a Showgirl."

During CNN's annual "New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen,"Cooper, 58, could be seen raising his eyebrows and expressing his astonishment over the song's lyrics as his co-hostCohen, 57, sipped his drink, chuckled at the camera and encouraged the popular broadcaster to keep reading.

"You're probably familiar with this song, I was not," Cooper said about the song, to which Cohen responded, "Sweetie, yeah."

As Cooper read the song's lyrics, which include "Redwood tree his love was the key that opened my thighs" and "New Heights of manhood," he continued to giggle with Cohen, leaving no chance to tease his pal.

View this post on Instagram

What haveTaylor Swiftand Travis Kelce said about 'Wood'?

"Wood," which is part of Swift's 12th studio album, is clearly about Swift's fiancé,Travis Kelce, with mentions of hispodcast "New Heights"and getting a "hard rock," presumably herengagement ring.

While discussing the song on"The Tonight Show,"Swift joked that her writing process for the song started "in a very innocent place," but that she doesn't know "what happened, man."

"I got in there, we started vibing, and I don't know how we got here," the singer told "The Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon.

Swift turns superstitions on their head in "Wood" with the line, "Seems to me that / you and me, we / make our own luck," before rounding out the bumping beat with "his love was the key that opened my thighs."

When asked onSiriusXM's "Morning Mash Up" what it was like to play "Wood" for her mom, Swift joked: "I think that she thinks that that song is about superstitions, which it absolutely is."

"That's the joy of the double entendre," she continued. "You can play that song for people, and it just goes right over their head. You see in that song what you want to see in that song."

Need a news break?Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

Pop star Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Aug. 26, 2025. The couple began dating in the summer of 2023. Look back at their time together, including here, at the game between Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers during the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.