U.S. Captures Venezuela’s President

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President Donald Trump said the U.S. "successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela" and said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country."

The announcement on Trump’s social media platform came shortly before 4:30 a.m. Saturday a few hours after several explosions were heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, witnesses said, and photos and videos showed plumes of smoke and a large fireball in the night sky.

Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement and said he would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. from Mar-a-Lago.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, "will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts" on a slew of charges in New York, including "narco-terrorism conspiracy" and "cocaine importation conspiracy" as well as weapons charges. Maduro has faced the charges in New York for years.

Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News Maduro was being flown to New York. While the sources did not specify where Maduro will be held, defendants awaiting trial in federal court in Manhattan are customarily held at MDC-Brooklyn.

The operation that led to Maduro's capture was carried out by the Army’s Delta Force after the CIA had identified the leader's precise location, according to two people familiar with the operation. Delta Force is an elite special operations group of soldiers trained in secret counterterrorism operations and hostage rescues.

One person told ABC News that Trump had given the green light to capture Maduro several days ago and troops were ready to strike on Christmas Day, but were delayed due to military airstrikes in Nigeria against ISIS. Subsequent opportunities were postponed partly due to weather, the person said.

CBS first reported the details on the operation.

In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, President Trump celebrated what he called the success of the mission to capture Maduro, who the U.S. has considered the head of a foreign terrorist organization since a November designation.

“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump told The New York Times. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.”

When asked whether he had sought congressional authorization for the operation or what would come next for Venezuela, Trump said he would address those matters during his news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday morning.

'No further action' anticipated
Republican Sen. Mike Lee, of Utah, said in a post on X that he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the phone about the actions being taken in Venezuela after initially asking "what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force."

According to Lee, Rubio said that Maduro had been "arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States," and that the "kinetic action" was taken to protect those executing the warrant.

He also said that Rubio told him he anticipates "no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."

This was an incredibly dangerous operation to conduct," said ABC Contributor Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer and senior Pentagon official. "It required precise intelligence, detailed planning and flawless execution by these Delta operators and all the support, especially the [Joint Special Operations Command] air component, to pull it off in the manner that they did."

Senate and House Republicans praised Trump's actions, with Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida saying "a new day is here for Venezuela and Latin America" in a post on X and Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas saying Maduro "wasn’t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation."

But the action was criticized by Democrats.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, of Arizona, blasted Trump's move, calling it the "second unjustified war in my life time" in a post on X. "This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year. There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela."

Some 15,000 U.S. military personnel were in the area as well as the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier.

International reaction
The Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning what it called "the grave military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America" in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.

In addition, President Nicolas Maduro ordered the implementation of national defense plans, and declared a "state of External Disturbance throughout the national territory," according to the statement.

Russia condemned the action as "an act of armed aggression against Venezuela" and said it wanted to prevent "further escalation," according to the country's Foreign Ministry. And Colombian President Gustavo Petro said "Alert the world: Venezuela has been attacked!" in a post on X. But Trump ally and Argentinian president Javier Milei praised the move.

The U.S. has long considered Maduro the head of a corrupt dictatorial regime. In 2024, Maduro declared victory after a widely disputed presidential election for a third term.

Trump: U.S. plans to get 'strongly involved' in future of Venezuela's oil industry
Trump said that he expects the U.S. to get "very strongly involved" in the future of Venezuela's oil industry now that Maduro is no longer in control of it.

"We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we're going to be very much involved in it," he said on Fox News.

Any major U.S. involvement in Venezuela's oil industry could be seismic for the industry, although establishing the infrastructure to drill, store and exporting that oil would likely take years to materialize.

The country currently sits on the largest proven oil reserves in the world, surpassing even the reserves of Saudi Arabia, according to the Energy Institute.

JD Vance says Venezuela's 'stolen oil' must be returned to U.S.
Vice President JD Vance said Venezuela's "stolen oil" must be returned to the U.S., following strikes on the nation this morning and the capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro.

"The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States," Vance posted on X. "Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says."

The U.S. seized oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast in the past month, ordered a blockade of all sanctioned tankers while working to prevent them from going in and leaving the country.

Addressing those who have criticized the U.S. operations in Venezuela today as illegal, Vance said: "Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."

Adversaries and allies will be watching and waiting as Trump reasserts U.S. power
In case any government missed the message in 2025, this year has begun with a kinetic declaration from the Trump administration — bend to our will. The initial reaction from America’s allies has been cautious, with European leaders calling for "restraint." Every friendly government will be trying not to elicit the wrath of Trump through their reaction.

America’s adversaries have been quick to speak out: Cuba denounced the strike and Iran condemned it. The removal of Maduro, an ally of the Iranian regime, is another blow for Tehran just as it faces significant internal protests. Just yesterday, Trump threatened strikes against Iran if it targeted protesters.

Russia, another supporter of Maduro, called it "armed aggression against Venezuela," saying the strikes were "concerning and condemnable," but offering Moscow as a diplomatic player that can help ensure stability. Vladimir Putin will be calculating that being seen to help Trump over Venezuela may, in turn, help him as he negotiates over Ukraine.

Perhaps the most important reaction will be from China. The Trump administration's National Security Strategy, published in late 2025, cited the biggest threats to the U.S. in the Western hemisphere as migration, drugs, crime and China. China has made inroads with trade and rare minerals in South America. Now it is watching the U.S. reassert itself.

All of these U.S. adversaries and allies will know that what happens next in Venezuela is unpredictable. Many will be watching and waiting.

Trump on Venezuela strikes: 'I was able to watch it in real time'
In a live phone call with Fox News, Trump said that he watched the military operation in real time from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

"I was able to watch it in real time, and I watched every aspect of it, and I listened to the communication between, you know, where we were in Florida and out in the field in Venezuela," the president told Fox News. "It was amazing to see the professionalism, the quality of leadership, the professionalism."

Trump added later, "It’s been amazing to see how good they were, how professional they were, how incredible the equipment we have is — I mean, the level of equipment and to see how it worked so perfectly."

He also indicated that the U.S. military suffered no casualties during the operation, saying, "To have a few injuries, but no death on our side, is really amazing."

The president compared the military operation to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during the Biden administration. "We’re not a laughingstock anymore," he said

Trump: Strike was supposed to happen four days ago but was delayed due to weather
In a phone call with Fox News, the U.S. president said that the strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro were slated to happen four days ago, "but the weather was not perfect."

"The weather has to be perfect," he said.

"We had, you know, very good, a little bit few more clouds than we thought, but it was good," he added. "We waited four days. We were going to do this four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, and then all of a sudden, it opened up, and we said go."

Trump on who will be the next leader of Venezuela: 'We’re going to have to look at it'
Asked whether he would support María Corina Machado, Venezuela's opposition leader who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize, as the nation's next president, Trump told Fox News, "Well, we’re going to have to look at it right now."

"They have a vice president, as you know," Trump added before casting doubt on whether Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was duly elected.

"I mean, I don’t know what kind of an election that was. But, you know, the election of Maduro was a disgrace," the U.S. president said.

Trump then went on to compare Maduro's election to his failed re-election bid in 2020, which Trump has falsely claimed for years was "rigged" against him. Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

Maduro's election in Venezuela, "just like my election, was a disgrace," Trump said, adding, "2020 was a disgrace."

"[Maduro] had an election that was a rigged election, and the people have no love for him, that’s for sure. He had very little loyalty, if any loyalty. He was a dictator," the U.S. president said.

Trump calls Democrats questioning whether he needed congressional authorization 'weak, stupid people'

U.N. Secretary-General 'deeply concerned' international law may have been breached
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by the recent escalation in Venezuela and concerned the U.S. operation will have potentially worrying implications for the region.

“These developments constitute a dangerous precedent,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect — by all — of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”

Next 48 hours 'most crucial,' analyst warns
The next 48 hours in Venezuela could prove decisive, with risks of civil conflict and uncertainty over whether U.S. involvement escalates, according to one analyst.

“I think the next 48 hours are probably the most crucial in this entire scenario,” said Brian Fonseca, director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. “There is a pathway that could lead to pronounced civil conflict, and may force the Americans to double down even more.”

Fonseca cautioned that removing President Nicolás Maduro does not automatically dismantle the power structures around him, and that "taking Maduro out doesn’t necessarily mean that the regime goes away.”

“You have a political, military elite that are as tied to the survival of Maduro as Maduro himself, in many ways," he told NBC News.

Fonseca noted that the apparent ease of the U.S. operation raised questions about internal dynamics within Venezuela’s leadership.

“In none of the video footage or reporting have I seen any response by the Venezuelan military to repel the Americans from coming in,” he said. “It may hint possibly at maybe some more negotiated outing of Maduro, in which members of the political and military elite decided to engage the U.S. directly or through the opposition in order to have Maduro removed.”

Any political transition will hinge on engaging Venezuela’s armed forces as an institution, Fonseca added, arguing that the military’s role is decisive and complicated by its longstanding distrust of the opposition, which it has historically viewed as no better than those currently in power.

Alternatively, he warned, punitive measures against the military could deepen instability.

“You’re not just going to throw a bunch of military leaders in prison and expect the institution to just fall in line,” he said. “I think that could be problematic too.”

The U.S. is “going to run the country,” Trump said of Venezuela at a news conference today, following the U.S. capture of the Venezuelan leader.

“We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transitions,” he said. “So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.”

“We’re there now,” he added. “So, we’re going to stay until such time as we’re going to run it essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place.”

U.S. companies to 'start making money' for Venezuela, Trump says
U.S. companies will enter Venezuela, spend billions and “start making money for the country,” Trump told the news conference, adding that the country's oil business has been a “bust.”

The “partnership” will make the people “rich, independent and safe,” he said. Venezuelans living in the U.S. will be “extremely happy,” he added.

The U.S. is “ready” to stage a second “and much larger” attack on the country if needed, he said.

Hegseth on Maduro: ‘He effed around and he found out’
In a brief speech, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Trump’s leadership and extolled the efforts of military and law enforcement, saying the raid was “flawlessly executed.”

Hegseth said Trump is “deadly serious” about stopping the flow of gangs, violence and drugs.

“Nicolás Maduro had his chance, just like Iran had their chance until they didn’t, and until he didn’t. He effed around and he found out,” Hegseth said.

He concluded by saying, “Welcome to 2026, and under President Trump, America is back”.

Military studied Maduro for months ahead of operation
The U.S. military spent months studying Maduro to "understand how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets," Chairman of Joints Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said at a press conference standing alongside Trump.

More than 150 aircraft were part of the operation. One U.S. aircraft was hit but remained flyable.

“Operatives had to choose the right day to minimize the potential for civilian harm and maximize the element of surprise and minimize the harm,” he said.

When the “weather broke just enough,” a path cleared “that only the most skilled aviators in the world could maneuver through.” At 10:46 p.m. ET, Trump “ordered the military to move forward,” Caine added.

Trump ordered the operation to move forward at 10:46 p.m. ET last night, Caine said. He added that American forces arrived at Maduro's compound at 1:01 a.m. ET, or 2:01 a.m. in Caracas.

"Maduro and his wife, both indicted, gave up and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, assisted by our incredible U.S. military with professionalism and precision, with no loss of U.S. life," Caine said.

Maduro capture 'a slap in the face to Putin,' former Russian official says
The fact the U.S. did not inform Russia about its actions “felt like a slap in the face” to President Vladimir Putin, the country’s former deputy foreign minister told NBC News.

“Putin did not expect this,” said Andrei Fedorov. “The Americans described this option as a last resort and promised to inform Russia of any actions,” he added.

“Honestly, it felt like a slap in the face to Putin,” he said, adding that Trump had betrayed his Russian counterpart.

“This situation puts Russia in a very difficult position,” Fedorov, who maintains close ties to the Kremlin, said. Moscow, he added, “will lose its oil contracts there and its influence.”

“Trump will maintain control over Venezuela, and by extension over the world’s largest proven oil reserves,” he said. “This would mark a major shift in global power. He would be able to set oil prices. And now Russia can be pressured at any moment — not only over Ukraine.”

“For Russia, the question arises of how to deal politically with Trump and how much he can be trusted on Ukraine,” he added. “Will he betray Russia even if there is an agreement on Ukraine?”

We’re not afraid of boots on the ground' in Venezuela, Trump says
Trump indicated that the U.S. military would be on the ground in Venezuela following strikes on the country.

“We’re going to have presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil, because we have to have, we were sending our expertise in,” he said during a press conference today. “So you may need something, not very much.”

Earlier, asked whether U.S. troops would be deployed in Venezuela, Trump said, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground.”

“We had boots on the ground last night at a very high level, actually, we’re not afraid of it,” he said. “We don’t mind saying it, but we’re going to make sure that that country is run properly.”

Rubio: Congress was told about Venezuela strikes after the operation
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration contacted members of Congress “immediately” following the operation in Venezuela.

“We called members of Congress immediately,” Rubio, a longtime Maduro hawk, said. “This is not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on. It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night.”

Speaking alongside Trump, he added that the Venezuelan president “had multiple opportunities to avoid this.”

“He was provided multiple very, very, very generous offers, and chose instead to act like a wild man, chose instead to play around,” he said. “And the result is what we saw tonight.”

Rubio had a message for other foes of the United States.

“Don’t play games with this president’s office, because it’s not going to turn out well,” Rubio said. “And so I hope that you know, you know. I guess that lesson was learned last night, and and we hope it will be instructive moving forward.”

Trump draws a parallel between Cuba and Venezuela
Both Trump and Rubio expressed concerns about the leadership in Cuba, which has close economic ties to Venezuela.

Trump told the news conference it was a “failing nation,” while Rubio said it “a disaster.”

“It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people who are forced out of Cuba and living in this country,” Trump said.

Rubio said Venezuelans should declare independence from Cuba, adding that Cubans were among the guards who helped protect Maduro. “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit,” he said, referring to Cuba’s capital city.

’It is an act of war': Former officer questions U.S. strikes
The U.S. strike in Venezuela, which removed President Nicolás Maduro, has raised questions about executive authority and congressional oversight, according to one former military officer.

“Quite clearly, it is an act of war,” said retired Col. Gregory A. Daddis. “I think that certainly is not simply within the executive authority, that Congress has to be a part of that conversation, as I would argue, the American public.”

There has been “very little debate within the legislative branch,” he told NBC News. “As far as I can tell right now, the Senate Armed Services Committee wasn’t even notified of the military strike. There’s no congressional oversight or authorization.”

The operation also raises broader questions about targeting the head of another sovereign state, he said, wondering whether targeting the head of another sovereign state was “acceptable foreign policy, and is it the norm that any head of state is fair game for the United States?”

“We can simply engage in a series of decapitation strikes and then have show trials in U.S. courts?” he asked. “And can the U.S. courts even hold foreign presidents accountable for crimes, not international courts, but U.S. courts? I think there’s a host of questions here that so far have not been answered.”

Daddis also placed the strike in a historical and strategic context, citing the Roosevelt Corollary and a long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America.

“In many ways, it follows a long history of American interventionism in the Western Hemisphere,” he said, “where we have argued that the Western Hemisphere, in its entirety, falls within our jurisdiction to protect U.S. interests.”

Schumer blasts Trump plans to 'run' Venezuela
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the President Donald Trump's plans to take control of Venezuela, saying in a post on X that this should "should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans."

"The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price," the senior Democrat said, appearing to reference other U.S. military interventions around the world, such as the invasion of Iraq, which resulted in a costly, painful and protracted conflict.

In a separate post to X, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said that Americans "need more answers, especially to questions regarding the next steps in Venezuela’s transition.”

"I am eager to work with members of the Trump Administration to bring clarity to the situation," he said.

U.S. operation contravenes international law, French foreign minister says
The U.S. operation in Venezuela “contravenes the principle of non-use of force,” a fundamental principle of international law, France's foreign minister said.

“France reiterates that no lasting political solution can be imposed from outside and that sovereign peoples alone decide their future,” Jean-Noël Barrot said in a statement on X.

The U.S. operation will have “serious consequences for global security,” he added.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the removal of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro from power will open the door to the country’s vast oil reserves, a move that has the potential to reshape the global energy market.

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country,” Trump said in a public address.

“They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been,” he said.

Venezuela’s vast oil reserves are the largest in the world, likely the equivalent of about 300 billion barrels, according to the Energy Institute, a research firm. Its reserves top those of even the No. 1 OPEC oil-producing country, Saudi Arabia.

But doing so would likely require years of work and sizable investments to modernize its industry, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, something that will also require a certain level of political stability. Trump said in his public address that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for the time being but did not specify who would be involved or how.

“We built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive, skill, and the socialist regime stole it from us,” Trump asserted. “This constituted one of the largest thefts of American property in the history of our country.”

Trump said the embargo he imposed on Venezuela oil remains “in full effect.”

“They stole our oil,” he added. “They took it over like it was nothing.”

“We’ll be selling large amounts of oil to other countries,” Trump said when he was asked how controlling Venezuela’s energy supply could impact relations with China, Russia and Iran. “We’re in the oil business. We’re going to sell it to them.”

Venezuela has for decades enjoyed a level of economic success thanks to its oil, which it supplies to a variety of trading partners. Currently, China is Venezuela’s top oil customer, according to analysts, but due to the secretive nature of some of those exports exact data is hard to come by.

Any U.S. effort to gain access to Venezuela’s oil could also further inflame tensions with China, which issued a terse condemnation of Maduro’s removal.

“Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. “China firmly opposes it.”

Chevron is the only U.S. oil company that operates in Venezuela, under a limited license issued to it by the Trump administration. Under a more involved plan like one envisioned by Trump, more companies would likely need to enter the country.

“Chevron remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets,” a company spokesperson said on Saturday morning. “We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.”

Major U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector could be transformational for the industry and energy markets, although establishing the infrastructure to drill, store and export that oil could take years to materialize.

Venezuela’s vast reserves are highly concentrated in one part of the country. Tapping that supply would be technically feasible but likely very costly due to years of decay that the country’s energy infrastructure has suffered due to an economy weakened by strict U.S. sanctions.

Most of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves are extra-heavy crude oil,” according to research from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“The extraction of extra-heavy crude oil requires a higher level of technical expertise, which international oil companies possess but their involvement has been limited by international sanctions,” the agency said. “Furthermore, budgetary constraints at Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA and a lack of qualified technical personnel and foreign direct investment have all hampered Venezuela’s oil and natural gas development.”

Due to those sanctions and budget restraints, PDVSA is still the largest source of revenue for the Maduro government.

The infrastructure is decades old, though, made more difficult by the extra-heavy crude oil. The EIA estimates that many of Venezuela’s oil pipelines are more than 50 years old.

Restoring the country’s oil production to just 1990s levels would require more than $8 billion in investments, EIA said, citing PDVSA estimates.

"The bones of a terrific oil industry are certainly there," longtime oil industry analyst John Kilduff told NBC News.

"There could be a small bump in their output over the next six months," Kilduff added, noting that the extra production could help with the recent downward trajectory in gas prices for consumers. "So yes, U.S. consumers could see a further decrease at the pump on top of what they've already been seeing over the past several months."

"Venezuela oil is of a special grade. It's very heavy and sour, particularly well suited for U.S. Gulf Coast oil refineries," he said.

For now, the market impact is unclear. Crude oil does not resume trading until Sunday evening.

Terry Haines, founder of Pangaea Policy, said in a note on LinkedIn that oil prices will likely react “negatively, since [the market] will see increased supply as likely.”

Strategic victory if we can put someone in whose properly pro-Venezuelan and non-narco.

It'll be a puppet dictatorship that will be business friendly with The States, but ultimately end up killing a lot of Venezuelan citizens in the long run just like every other central and south American country we "helped".

How exactly is this different from Russia invading Ukraine?