WASHINGTON, USA — President Donald Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro during a large-scale military operation in Caracas on Saturday, January 3, 2025.
Trump also announced plans for American control of the country’s oil sector and the presence of United States troops connected to those activities.
Maduro was detained in an overnight raid in the Venezuelan capital, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
United States officials said he is expected to be brought to New York to face drugs and weapons charges.
Capture of Venezuela’s President
Residents of Caracas reported explosions overnight as strikes hit multiple locations in the city, including two airports and a port.
Heat signatures were detected near Fort Tiuna, a major military site, according to satellite fire data cited in the reporting notes.
Trump said Maduro and Flores were seized by United States forces.
According to the notes, the pair were “dragged from their bedroom” during the operation.
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro would face prosecution in New York.
Trump Outlines Plan for Governance and Oil
Speaking at a news conference, Trump said his government would assume responsibilities in Venezuela indefinitely.
He said the United States would take control of the country’s oil reserves, recruit American companies to invest billions of dollars to repair the industry, and ensure a United States troop presence “as it pertains to oil.”
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies — the biggest anywhere in the world — go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure,” Trump said.
Trump added that senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, would form part of a “team” to help administer the country.
He said the United States was working with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and stated that he did not believe opposition leader María Corina Machado had sufficient support to govern.
A former United States State Department legal adviser, Brian Finucane, described Trump’s actions as a “flagrant violation of the UN Charter,” according to the notes.
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Reactions Inside Venezuela and Abroad
The foreign minister of Venezuela said Maduro remained the rightful leader, while opposition figure María Corina Machado called for an opposition candidate to be installed as head of state.
Reactions among Venezuelans were mixed. Some residents in Caracas expressed differing views on the United States intervention, according to the notes.
Members of the Venezuelan diaspora marked the news with both celebration and concern. Venezuelans in multiple countries gathered publicly after Trump’s announcement.
“At first we were crying because our country was being bombed, but when we were told they had Maduro, the reaction was … overwhelming,” said Macunayma Centeno in Spain.
In Miami, a 51-year-old Venezuelan who asked not to be named said, “What conflicting feelings: On one hand, it’s hard to explain what we feel seeing our Venezuela under bombardment, and as our loved ones remain there. On the other, we believe this may be the only way out. May God bless our beloved Venezuela.”
In Madrid, Carolina Aponte said, “I know there’s still a long way to go, but no one can take this news out of our hearts, and I am incredibly happy.”
Background on Maduro’s Rule
Maduro became president in 2013. Subsequent national elections were marked by controversy, including the 2024 presidential vote that the United States said he lost.
His government has faced allegations of human rights abuses, including claims of killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, and sexual violence reported by the United Nations in December 2025.
Machado, the opposition leader, won the Nobel Peace Prize this year “for promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”
She had been in hiding after the government moved against dissent following the disputed 2024 election and later travelled to Oslo to receive the award.
Trump did not specify how long United States control in Venezuela would last or how the announced arrangements would function.
