How Trump Followed the 2026 U.S. Mission to Apprehend Nicolás Maduro

United States special operations forces arrested Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores during a pre‑dawn raid on 3 January 2026 in Caracas. The operation, code‑named Operation Absolute Resolve, involved months of planning and coordination between U.S. military branches and intelligence agencies.

Officials said more than 150 aircraft were mobilised to support the mission, while roughly 15,000 troops were staged in the region to provide cover. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the mission as one of the most complex U.S. operations in recent memory as reported by BBC News.

Trump monitored raid from Mar‑a‑Lago

Former U.S. president Donald Trump watched the assault live from his Mar‑a‑Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. He and close advisersincluding Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe monitored a live stream of the raid after approving the operation days earlier.

In a subsequent interview with Fox News, Trump said the U.S. military had built a replica of Maduro’s safe house to rehearse the operation and that he watched “every aspect” of the raid from Florida.

Trump told Fox News that the Venezuelan leader’s compound was “more like a fortress” with steel doors and a safety room, but U.S. troops breached those defences in seconds.

He said Maduro attempted to reach a safe room but was “bum‑rushed” before closing the door. Trump later shared a photograph on Truth Social that appeared to show Maduro blindfolded aboard the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship.

Details of the operation

According to Reuters, elite units believed to include the Army’s Delta Force trained on a mock‑up of Maduro’s residence before storming the actual safe house. The CIA had agents on the ground and an asset close to Maduro to provide his exact location. U.S. aircraft launched strikes on Venezuelan military targets, including air‑defence sites, to clear the way for helicopters carrying special forces.

One helicopter was reportedly hit but remained operational.Caine said Maduro and Flores surrendered without U.S. casualties and were flown to the USS Iwo Jima before being transported to New York. Trump posted that there were no U.S. fatalities, though he later acknowledged some personnel were wounded.

Legal proceedings and U.S. administration’s stance

The Justice Department had previously indicted Maduro in 2020 on charges of narco‑terrorism and cocaine‑importation conspiracy. After the raid, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Flores would soon “face the full wrath of American justice” in U.S. courts.

The pair were placed in federal custody in New York; they appeared before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on 5 January and pleaded not guilty to the charges. (For more on the charges and context, see XtraAfrica’s coverage on Maduro’s court case.)

During a press conference at Mar‑a‑Lago, Trump declared that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be arranged. He said U.S. oil companies would refurbish Venezuela’s energy sector. The remarks drew criticism from opposition lawmakers, who questioned the legality of the operation and the administration’s authority to unilaterally manage another country.

The raid sparked condemnation from Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who announced a week of mourning for those killed and accused Washington of violating international law. Russia’s foreign ministry denounced the action as “armed aggression” and called for restraint. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting to discuss the legality of the operation.

Related news:

• Maduro to Face US Court for Narco‑Terrorism Charges after Raid

• Maduro denies U.S. drug‑trafficking charges In a US court

• Museveni: US Strike on Venezuela Is a Wake‑Up Call for Africa

Supporters of the operation argued that it targeted a narco‑terrorism network that threatened U.S. security. Republican lawmakers praised the mission, while some Democratic members of Congress said the administration failed to obtain congressional authorization. Internationally, countries such as Colombia and Argentina’s President Javier Milei backed the U.S. move, while South Africa and other nations expressed alarm.

Relations between Washington and Caracas have been strained for years. Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chávez in 2013, faced U.S. sanctions and accusations of corruption and drug‑trafficking. The Trump administration declared Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organisation in November 2025. The United States had previously offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. The January raid marked the first time U.S. forces seized a sitting head of state since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

Source: BBC News