AT A GLANCE
- The U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise overnight military operation and removed him from the country.
- Donald Trump says the U.S. will run Venezuela during an interim period, though no visible U.S. control has been confirmed.
- The legality of the operation is unclear under U.S. and international law, including questions involving the ICC.
- Venezuela’s political future remains uncertain as protests, security control, and succession questions unfold.
Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Run’ Venezuela During Transition, Maduro Arrested, Flown to U.S. to Face Criminal Charges
The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise overnight military operation and removed him from the country, according to U.S. officials. President Donald Trump said the U.S. plans to run Venezuela during an interim period until a transition of power can take place, though there were no immediate or visible signs that American forces were controlling the country.
Trump claimed U.S. officials were already in place and said the United States would oversee Venezuela “for a period of time” to ensure what he described as a safe and proper transition.
Maduro and his wife were taken overnight from their home on a military base and placed aboard a U.S. warship, where they were en route to New York. Maduro is expected to face long-standing federal criminal charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses that were first filed during Trump’s first term.
Trump alleged that Maduro led the Cartel de los Soles and accused him and his associates of flooding the United States with illegal drugs. U.S. officials said the operation involved elite American forces and struck several sites, including locations in Caracas, without reported casualties.
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Venezuela’s vice president following Maduro’s removal, claiming the conversation focused on making the country “great again.”
There was no immediate confirmation or response from the Venezuelan government regarding the call. Trump also said the United States plans to tap Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries in the aftermath of Maduro’s ouster, signaling a sharp shift in how Washington intends to engage with the oil-rich nation.
During a press conference, Trump said officials standing behind him, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, would oversee Venezuela during the interim phase. Hegseth defended the operation by comparing it to U.S. strikes on Iran last summer, warning that American adversaries should remain on notice that the United States can project power anywhere at any time. Trump said the U.S. would not allow another leader to take control if it meant repeating what he described as years of corruption and criminal activity.
More details emerged about the scale of the military operation. Gen. Dan Caine, the president’s top military adviser, said more than 150 aircraft from 20 different bases were involved in the surprise, overnight attack.
The aircraft included F-22, F-35, and F-18 fighter jets, B-1 bombers, support aircraft, and numerous remotely piloted drones. Caine said the aircraft were deployed to provide cover for helicopters that served as the extraction force tasked with capturing Maduro and his wife.
Caine said there were multiple self-defense engagements as U.S. forces withdrew from Venezuela, adding that military planners selected what he described as the right day to minimize civilian harm while maximizing surprise. He said the goal of the operation was the swift extraction of Maduro without broader conflict.
Legal experts immediately raised questions about the legality of the operation under U.S. and international law. The United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and it remains unclear how the action aligns with domestic legal authority.
The Trump administration argues that Maduro is not Venezuela’s legitimate leader and maintains that his government functioned as a criminal enterprise tied to drug trafficking and terrorist groups.
Venezuela’s political future remains uncertain. Under Venezuelan law, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would typically assume power, but there was no confirmation that had occurred. Maduro’s government condemned the operation as an imperialist attack on civilian and military installations and urged citizens to take to the streets.
While Venezuelan migrants abroad celebrated Maduro’s removal, conditions inside Caracas appeared tense, with residents lining up at supermarkets amid fears of deeper economic instability.
Trump also invoked the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, renaming it the “Don-Roe Doctrine,” and declared that American dominance in the Western Hemisphere would not be questioned again. The comments intensified international scrutiny as events continue to unfold, with no independent confirmation yet that the United States has assumed direct control of Venezuela despite Trump’s repeated claims.
