U.S. Seizes Venezuelan President as Trump Signals Regime Change
It was a dramatic start to the new year on the international stage when the U.S. military conducted a strike on Venezuela early in the morning on Saturday, January 3. Shortly after the explosions were seen over the capital city of Caracas, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the American military had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Here is a look at the latest on this precarious situation that has been met with criticism from the other side of the political aisle.
Latest on Capture of Venezuelan President
The world was caught by surprise early Saturday when a U.S. military operation stormed across Caracas, Venezuela. The brief operation was an escalation of brewing tensions between the U.S. and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. President Trump addressed the world later in the morning, confirming that Maduro and his wife were being extradited to New York. Trump said that the U.S. will "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" can take place.
The president said that the operation was a "large-scale strike" against the South American country. Trump addressed the media on Saturday from his home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, offering more details about the strike and the plans for Venezuela. While Trump did not offer details about how the U.S. plans to manage Venezuela in the interim, he said that his administration wants to help them to "rebuild their whole infrastructure."
Video images and pictures submitted from within Venezuela show thick plumes of smoke billowing over Caracas after the strikes. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing the sounds of low-flying jets under the cover of darkness.
Although not all of the casualties tied to the strikes have been confirmed, the Cuban government reported that 32 of its citizens were killed as a result of the strikes. The statement came from the Cuban government on its Facebook page late Sunday.
According to CBS News, members of the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force led the operation to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The Delta Force is widely known as the Army's equivalent of the Navy's SEAL Team 6.
Following Maduro's capture, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was installed as the nation's leader. She spoke to her Venezuelan citizens on Sunday, asking for cooperation with the U.S. during this time of transition.
Meanwhile, Trump is leaning on the mission to imply that the U.S. could potentially launch further military action against other embattled countries and adversaries.
About Maduro and the Tension Between the U.S. and Venezuela
Maduro has been the president of Venezuela since 2013. The 63-year-old was chosen by Venezuela's former leader, Hugo Chávez, narrowly winning an election after Chávez's death. Many people do not recognize Maduro as a legitimate leader, in large part due to the rampant chatter of rigged elections. Most recently, Maduro was sworn in for a third term one year ago, on the heels of a 2024 election that many say was fraudulent.
Venezuela has collapsed under Maduro's leadership. Notably, the country has been grappling with soaring inflation levels, food shortages, and rights abuses. Millions of Venezuelans have fled the nation in recent years as conditions continue to deteriorate.
The international community has been mostly aligned in its views that Maduro is running a corrupt government. The Trump administration has continued to assert that Maduro is responsible for a significant flow of drugs coming into the U.S, particularly in the form of fentanyl. However, several data points from U.S. federal agencies and the United Nations do not prove that Venezuela is a major cause of America's drug problem.
The U.S. began launching attacks on reported drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean last fall. This campaign intensified heading into the end of the year, including a controversial seizure of oil tankers coming from Venezuelan ports by American forces.
What is Next for Maduro?
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi detailed in a social media post on X over the weekend that Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. According to Bondi, Maduro is facing charges of "Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States." Bondi did not elaborate on the charges against Flores.
Maduro and his wife were flown to New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York, on Saturday. Republican Sen. Mike Lee also noted on social media that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him that Maduro would face trial on criminal charges on U.S. soil.
Democrats are not supportive of Trump's actions, accusing the White House of starting an illegal war with Venezuela while misleading Congress. Conversely, the Trump administration said that it did not need congressional authorization to carry out its plans in Venezuela.
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