United States President Donald Trump publicly confirmed the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and made it clear that his administration will assume a central role in Venezuela until the country is in a position to begin a safe democratic transition. During a press conference, the president also warned that the United States is prepared for a second wave of attacks if the situation requires it.
Trump maintained that Washington's priority is to avoid chaos and to ensure that the collapse of the Chavista regime doesn't lead to a power vacuum that puts the civilian population or the region at risk. In that context, he emphasized that the U.S. presence will be "active and responsible".
A precise military operation with no U.S. casualties
The U.S. president emphatically praised the work of the armed forces that carried out the operation. "It was an extraordinary operation," he stated, as he described Maduro's capture as an action planned in detail and executed with maximum precision.
Trump compared the operation with previous military actions against structures hostile to the international order and asserted that no U.S. citizen lost his or her life, a key fact that reinforces the image of a surgical and professional intervention.
According to his account, Maduro was captured in the middle of the night and extracted from the country in a helicopter, in a sequence that the president himself followed in real time with his team.
Maduro will be tried in the United States
Earlier, Trump confirmed that Maduro is already in flight to New York, where he will be tried for crimes related to drug trafficking, corruption, and the systematic violation of human rights. The president stated that he witnessed the operation "live" and described it as a demonstration of the power and logistical capacity of the United States.
