Trump Says US Will Run Venezuela After Maduro Seized
Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was taken into custody and flown to the United States on Saturday following a pre dawn operation by American special forces, an action that Donald Trump said would place Venezuela under effective US control.
The operation involved US commandos seizing Maduro and his wife while air strikes hit several locations in and around Caracas. A US government aircraft carrying Maduro landed at a military base shortly after nightfall, after which he was transported by helicopter to New York City. The couple are expected to be arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
The White House later released video footage on X showing Maduro handcuffed and wearing sandals as he was escorted by federal agents through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in New York. In the clip, Maduro is heard saying, “Good night, happy new year.”
Despite the successful raid, uncertainty surrounds what comes next for Venezuela. Trump said he was “designating people” from his Cabinet to take charge of the country but did not provide further details on governance or the transition process.
Trump also raised the possibility of deploying US troops, saying Washington is “not afraid of boots on the ground.” However, he appeared to dismiss the idea of Venezuela’s opposition immediately assuming power, suggesting instead that he could work with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
Trump said Rodriguez was “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
Rodriguez rejected that characterization, demanded Maduro’s release, and vowed to “defend” the country. Late Saturday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Rodriguez to assume presidential powers “in an acting capacity.”
Trump also pointed to Venezuela’s oil reserves as a key interest of the United States.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies... go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure,” he said.
“We’ll be selling large amounts of oil.”
