The operation on Saturday was the culmination of months of escalating Trump administration pressure on the oil-rich South American nation and its president, dictator Maduro.
Mr. Maduro and his wife, taken overnight from their home on a military base, were aboard a US warship on their way to New York, where they were to face criminal charges.
Regardless of where you stand on this, it is amazing how flawless the operation was.
However, it is hard to believe a trial in New York will end in a conviction. AOC is already standing up for Maduro. He might become another Democrat hero. Having Pam Bondi prosecute it is also not encouraging.
President Donald Trump said the US planned to run Venezuela until a transition of power could take place.
He claimed the American presence was already in place, though there were no immediate signs that the US was running the country.
“We’re going to run the country until such time we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition,” Mr. Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference where he said that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives”.
Trump won. pic.twitter.com/yEpeQi5kIf
— I Love America News (@ILA_NewsX) January 3, 2026
Some small groups of Maduro supporters took to the streets in Caracas to protest.
Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernandez told The Associated Press that Mr. Maduro and Ms. Flores were at their home within the Ft Tiuna military installation when they were captured.
“That’s where they bombed,” he said. “And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country.”
Ms. Fernandez is next in line to take over, but that doesn’t seem like something the US would support.
The US has not recognized Mr. Maduro’s presidency. Their elections are rife with corruption.
Democrats are defending Maduro after he gave us Tren de Aragua.
The fury over the capture of a communist dictator is so revealing. They love Maduro. They wish they could run America the way he ran VZ. https://t.co/Dh9LxIkLwq
— Rob Schmitt (@SchmittNYC) January 3, 2026
This fucking screwball Bondi wants to try this Maduro in libtard New York City. She should be fired immediately. The communist mayor is already speaking out against our military.
Try him in Florida! NYC jury is a very bad choice.
I wonder if those two Chinese-flagged tankers that were headed to Venezuela have turned around? They will likely try Iran next. Hopefully they will find that tap has run dry too. Yuk-yuk.
As I commented earlier, Maduro should have been dropped off at Gitmo and tried by military tribunal. Foreigners (including illegal aliens) have no right to constitutional due process in American courts.
Maduro should have been shot dead on the spot along with his wife. Since nobody had the balls to do that, your suggestion is the second best choice.