President Trump details US raid that captured Maduro in Venezuela
At a press conference, President Donald Trump detailed the U.S. military operation that detained President Nicolas Maduro and his wife overnight in Caracas.
As U.S. forces stormed the compound and the sound of explosions lit up the night sky over Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro fled to a safe room inside his home on a military base.
Maduro reached the door but was unable to close it.
Members of the Army’s secret Delta Force captured the Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, removed them from the compound and took them to the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, which was waiting off the coast of South America. Both men will be extradited within days to New York, where they will be charged with drug trafficking, U.S. officials said.
The attack, which took place on the Venezuelan capital in the early morning hours of January 3, was a swift and stunning show of military might. Images and video showed explosions, vehicles on fire, smoke billowing over the capital Caracas and swarms of helicopters flying low.
President Donald Trump, who announced the military operation, called it “one of the most amazing, effective and powerful displays of American military power and capability in American history.”
The Jan. 3 military operation was one of the largest foreign invasions since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, raising questions about the U.S. role in the Caribbean country of more than 28 million people.
With Maduro no longer in power, Trump said the United States would run Venezuela until there is a “safe, appropriate and wise transition of power.” He indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth would be in charge, along with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
Maduro, 63, a former bus driver and union leader, has ruled the county for more than a decade. A handpicked successor to the former leader, he was narrowly elected president following Hugo Chávez’s death in 2013. Maduro was sworn in for a third term in January last year following an election widely condemned as fraudulent by international observers, the Biden administration and opposition groups.
President Maduro’s reign has seriously strained relations with several US presidents, who have accused him of allowing illegal drugs to flow into the United States. Since his first term in the White House, Trump has set his sights on overthrowing Maduro. He said President Maduro is running Venezuela like a “narco-terrorist” drug cartel that is directly responsible for the deaths of Americans.
A federal grand jury in New York, which indicted Mr. Maduro on narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and two counts of illegal weapons, said Mr. Maduro “sits at the head of a corrupt and illegitimate government that has used government power for decades to protect and facilitate illegal activities, including drug trafficking.”
A “carefully planned” operation
The U.S. attack and capture of President Maduro had been underway for several months.
“This mission was carefully planned, drawing lessons from missions over the past several decades,” Air Force Gen. Dan Cain, Trump’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The intelligence team monitored Maduro and knew how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, and even what pets he had, Cain said.
Meanwhile, starting in early September, the US military launched a series of attacks against drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. The campaign escalated, including the seizure of an oil tanker in and out of Venezuelan ports in late December.
Kane said the U.S. military was ready to attack by December, but waited until the appropriate day to minimize the possibility of civilian casualties and maximize the element of surprise. Between Christmas and New Year’s, the military waited for President Trump to issue orders.
Kaine said President Trump issued the order at 10:46 p.m. ET on January 2.
Within hours, aircraft began departing from 20 different bases on land and sea. More than 150 aircraft, bombers, fighters, intelligence, reconnaissance, and law enforcement teams participated. The helicopter began its flight toward Venezuela at 100 feet above water. As they approached Caracas, the military began disabling Venezuela’s air defense systems to allow the helicopters to reach their targets safely, Kane said.
As the helicopter approached its target, it came under fire. One was hit but was still able to fly.
The troops arrived at President Maduro’s compound at 1:01 a.m. ET. Both Maduro and his wife, who were inside, gave up and were taken into custody by the US Department of Justice with military support.
President Trump said that no U.S. troops were killed in the airstrike, and that no U.S. military aircraft were lost.
Trump later posted a photo on social media of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, wearing a gray sweatsuit and holding a water bottle. His head was covered with something like earmuffs to muffle the noise. A dark blindfold covered his eyes.
Republicans and Democrats disagree over attacks
In Washington, reaction to the military operation was predictably divided along partisan lines, with Republicans supporting the operation and Democrats accusing the Trump administration of waging an illegal war.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a post on X that President Maduro was “not just an illegitimate dictator, he also ran a massive drug-trafficking operation, which is why he was indicted in U.S. courts on charges of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism nearly six years ago.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) called the military action “a decisive and legitimate operation to protect American lives.”
“President Nicolas Maduro has trafficked illegal drugs and violent cartel members into our country for years, and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans,” Johnson said in a statement. “He has been properly charged with this crime in U.S. courts and a warrant for his arrest has been formally issued. And today, he learned what responsibility entails.”
But Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq war veteran, called the attack “the second unjust war of my lifetime” in a social media post.
“This war is illegal,” Gallego said. “It’s embarrassing that in less than a year we’ve gone from being the world’s police officers to being the world’s bullies.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who has pushed for consultations between the White House and Congress before military action, expressed concern about the administration’s actions.
“Where are we going next?” Kane asked. “Will the president send troops to protect protesters in Iran? To enforce a fragile cease-fire in Gaza? To fight terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To repress Americans peacefully gathering to protest his policies? Trump is threatening to do more than this, and he sees no need to seek legal approval from the people’s elected Congress before putting military personnel at risk.”
The Trump administration maintains that it does not require Congressional approval for military operations inside or outside Venezuela.
Criticism from abroad
Other countries were also critical of the operation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the airstrike was “very worrying and condemnable.”
“The pretexts justifying such actions are baseless,” the ministry said in a statement. “Ideological hostility has prevailed over business pragmatism and a desire to build relationships based on trust and predictability.”
In one of the many condemnations by Latin leaders, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that “the bombing of Venezuelan territory and the detention of the president crosses a line into the unacceptable.”
For many, Mr. Maduro’s arrest evoked memories of a similar attack on Panama’s General Manuel Noriega on the same day more than 30 years ago.
On January 3, 1990, the US military captured Noriega and took him to the United States, where he was convicted of drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Back in Venezuela, hours after the attack, the streets of Caracas were almost silent. Security forces patrolled the city, and supporters of Maduro’s government gathered later in the day to protest his detention.
But most residents remained confined to their homes as the country, and the world, wondered what would happen next.
Contributors: Francesca Chambers, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Jeanine Santucci, Davis Winkie.
Michael Collins writes about the intersection of politics and culture. He is a veteran reporter who has covered the White House and Congress. Follow him on X: @mcollinsNEWS
