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Hours aft U.S. President Donald Trump announced aboriginal connected Saturday (January 3, 2026) that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured and flown from the state aft “a large-scale onslaught against Venezuela and its leader”, astatine a property league astatine his Mar-a-Lago club successful Florida, saying that it was “one of the astir stunning, effectual and almighty displays of American mightiness and confidence”.
He says that ‘it rendered each Venezuelan subject capacities powerless’.
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“Overwhelming American subject powerfulness - air, onshore and oversea was utilized to motorboat this assault. It was an battle similar radical person not seen since World War 2. It was a unit against a heavy fortified subject fortress successful the bosom of Caracas to bring outlaw-dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice. This was 1 of the astir stunning, effectual and almighty displays of American mightiness and assurance successful American history. No federation successful the satellite could execute what America achieved. All Venezuelan subject capacities were rendered powerless arsenic the U.S. instrumentality enforcement successfully captured Maduro successful the dormant of night,” says Mr. Trump.
“We knocked retired 97% of the drugs coming successful from sea. Most of these drugs travel from Venezuela,” helium said.
“We are going to tally the state until specified clip arsenic we tin bash a safe, due and judicious transition,” Mr. Trump says.
“Maduro and his woman person been indicted successful the confederate territory of New York for their run of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States and its citizens,” helium says.
“Many helicopters, planes and radical were progressive successful that fight, but not 1 portion of instrumentality oregon idiosyncratic was lost. We person the champion instrumentality from anyplace successful the world, Mr. Trump says.
“The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of a immense transgression web liable for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the U.S. As alleged successful the indictment, helium personally oversaw the vicious cartel known arsenic Cartel de los Soles, which flooded our federation with lethal poison liable for the deaths of countless Americans,” Mr. Trump says.
Mr. Trump said that U.S. forces were prepared for a second, larger onslaught arsenic portion of the cognition to seizure Mr. Maduro overnight, but that it was not necessary.
Mr. Trump told reporters that the U.S. subject forces would stay in presumption until U.S. demands had been afloat met. “The American armada remains poised successful position, and the United States retains each subject options until the United States’ demands person been afloat met and afloat satisfied,” helium said.
Mr. Trump besides said the United States volition tally Venezuela with a radical and said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would beryllium moving on the details.
Embargo connected lipid successful full-effect
A U.S. embargo connected each Venezuelan lipid remains successful afloat effect, Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump besides said that the United States volition person ample U.S. lipid companies spell into Venezuela after the apprehension of President Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump medication notified members of Congress astir the subject cognition successful Venezuela instantly afterwards, Mr. Rubio told reporters.
“This is not the benignant of ngo that you tin do legislature notification on,” Mr. Rubio said. “It was a trigger-based ngo in which conditions had to beryllium met nighttime aft night. Congress has a inclination to leak,” Mr. Trump added.
More than 150 aircrafts
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said that the cognition involving Venezuela included much than 150 aircraft and was carried retired connected the direct orders of Mr. Trump.
He said that Mr. Trump ordered the U.S. subject astatine 10:46 p.m. ET connected Friday (January 2) to determination guardant with the Venezuela mission.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his woman Cilia Flores surrendered to U.S. forces successful Caracas, earlier being extracted from the state to look national cause trafficking-related charges successful New York, a General Caine said.
“Maduro and his wife, some indicted, gave up and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, assisted by our unthinkable U.S. subject with professionalism and precision, with nary nonaccomplishment of U.S. life,” General Caine said.
(with inputs from Reuters)
