WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that U.S. forces carried out overnight military strikes in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of longtime Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, marking what he described as the most direct American intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said Maduro is now in U.S. custody and that American officials would temporarily oversee Venezuela’s government during a transition period. Trump was joined by senior administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American might and competence in American history,” Trump said. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
Trump said U.S. forces had “boots on the ground” in Venezuela during the operation and emphasized that the United States would also oversee the country’s oil sector to ensure it is managed “properly.” He argued that Maduro’s removal was necessary to prevent another leader from taking power who “doesn’t have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.”
Maduro has ruled Venezuela for more than a decade, presiding over a period marked by economic collapse, political repression and international sanctions. His reported removal could create a significant power vacuum in the oil-rich South American nation.
Trump pointed to federal criminal charges filed in 2020 against Maduro and several current and former Venezuelan officials as the legal basis for the arrest. Those charges, unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice, accused Maduro and others of narco-terrorism, large-scale cocaine trafficking, corruption and conspiring with the Colombian guerrilla group FARC.
At the time, then-Attorney General William Barr said U.S. prosecutors alleged Maduro and his allies “abused the Venezuelan people and corrupted the legitimate institutions of Venezuela” to facilitate the shipment of tons of cocaine into the United States. Federal prosecutors described the alleged scheme as an effort to use drugs “as a weapon” to undermine American communities.
Multiple indictments remain pending in federal courts in New York, Florida, Texas, Arizona and Washington, D.C., involving senior Venezuelan political, military and judicial officials. U.S. authorities have also offered rewards of up to $50 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction, along with additional rewards for several of his alleged associates.
An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
