Breaking — Trump: U.S. Has Captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro And His Wife

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UPDATE 2: During his Press Conference, President Trump announced that the U.S. will take control and run Venezuela until a legitimate Government is established in the country. “We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” Trump said, speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. “We’re not going to let that happen. We’re going to run it, essentially, until such time as a proper transition can take place.”

Trump said U.S. oil companies will spend billions of dollars in Venezuela to fix its oil infrastructure.


UPDATE: President Trump has released the following photo showing Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima, en route to New York to face multiple charges:


(Click/Tap Image To Enlarge)


United States President Donald Trump announced a short while ago this morning (Saturday 3rd January, 2026) that the U.S. has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, and have extracted them from the country in a military operation carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement. Trump will hold a Press Conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida at 11:00 AM EST.


Trump made the announcement via Truth Social, just hours after the oil-rich Latin American country’s capital, Caracas, was rocked by a series of explosions: “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance chimed in shortly after on X, stating: “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. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.”


The Venezuelan Government said military facilities and Airport areas were struck, and that in addition to Caracas, the coastal states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira were hit. 
Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. According to Bondi, Maduro has been “charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American Courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”


(Click/Tap Image To Enlarge)

The operation to capture Maduro was carried out by the Army’s elite Delta Force and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which was also used in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. 
Venezuela has since ordered a general mobilization of all the country’s social and political forces to counter what it said was an imperialist attack. 

The explosions hit the city after Trump repeatedly threatened land strikes in Venezuela, following months of an unprecedented campaign of U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

More on this as it becomes available. 

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates. 

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