The president of the United States, donald trumpconfirmed early this Saturday that the president of VenezuelaNicolás Maduro, was captured by the US army along with his wife Cilia Flores and taken out of the Caribbean country.
“The United States has successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who was, along with his wife, captured and taken out of the country,” assured trump on your Truth Social network.
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“This operation was carried out in collaboration with US law enforcement”added the Republican magnate.
trump also announced a press conference on Venezuela at 16:00 GMT at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
US President Donald Trump (left) and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Photo by Jim Watson and Federico Parra / AFP).
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Later, in a brief telephone interview with The New York Times, The American president praised the “brilliant” military operation.
“Great planning and a lot of great troops and people,” he said, quoted by the newspaper.
Trump’s surprise announcement comes after months of increasing military and economic pressure from the United States on leftist Maduro. and the economy of the South American country, dependent on the export of oil, a resource of which it has the largest reserves in the world.
The US president said in December that The “intelligent” thing would be for Maduro to resign and, later, he said that the Venezuelan leader’s days in power were “numbered.”
Trump’s announcement about Maduro’s capture also comes two days after the latter tried to start talks between the two.offering cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal migration.
Fire in Fuerte Tiuna, the largest military complex in Venezuela, seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP).
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Trump has given different arguments to justify his campaign against Venezuelaincluding the claim that the country is a major exporter of narcotics to the United States and that Venezuela has taken over American oil interests.
The Republican has not explicitly called for the dismissal of Ripebut the US government, along with many European countries, did not recognize his legitimacy after his questioned re-election in 2024.
Washington has deployed a huge naval and air presence in the Caribbean in recent months, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and other combat ships.
US forces have seized two oil tankers at sea as part of an oil blockade of Venezuela and killed more than 100 people in airstrikes to destroy vessels accused of drug trafficking.
Trump told reporters on Monday that the United States had attacked and destroyed a docking area for suspected drug boats, in what was considered the first attack on Venezuelan soil of the campaign.
