Last Update January 3, 2026, 12:50 PM EST

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military carried out a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela early Saturday morning and took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife into custody.

Covered by: Rachel Wolf, Michael Sinkewicz, Lucas Tomlinson , Michael Dorgan, Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller

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WHAT TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been captured and flown out of the country after the U.S. carried out a “large scale strike.” Trump is expected to address the nation at 11 a.m. ET from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
• The U.S. military has carried out a series of strikes on suspected drug vessels allegedly tied to the Venezuelan regime in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific. The CIA carried out a strike in late December against a dock area inside Venezuela that U.S. officials said was used by drug cartels to load narcotics onto boats.
• The U.S. government had offered a $50 million bounty for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro. After Saturday’s early-morning operation, Venezuela’s vice president has demanded proof of life.

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incoming update…

41 min(s) ago

PINNED

US has ‘overwhelming evidence’ against Maduro, Trump says

Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. had “overwhelming evidence” against Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

“Maduro and his wife were soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil… But we have people where the overwhelming evidence of their crimes will be presented in a court of law. And I’ve seen it. I’ve seen what we have. It’s both horrible and breathtaking that something like this could have been allowed to take place.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

15 min(s) ago

Trump says lawmakers not notified of Venezuelan strikes because ‘Congress has a tendency to leak’

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio

President Donald Trump offered a simple answer as to why lawmakers weren’t notified ahead of Operation Absolute Resolve: Congress leaks. 

Several lawmakers are furious that they were not notified ahead of the surprise strikes, and subsequent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Saturday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago told reporters that lawmakers weren’t notified ahead of time out of concern that it could endanger the operation, but were called right after. He noted that “this is not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on; it was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night.”

“We watched and monitored that for a number of days,” Rubio said. “So, it’s just simply not the kind of mission you can call people and say, ‘hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days.’”

Trump interjected with a simpler explanation. 

“Congress has a tendency to leak,” Trump said. 

“This would not be good if they leaked, General, I think it would have been maybe a very different result,” he continued. “But I have to say they knew we were coming at some point, you know, we had a lot of ships out there, they sort of knew what we were. But Congress, Congress will leak and we don’t want to leakers.”

Posted by Alex Miller Share

24 min(s) ago

Oil embargo against Venezuela still in place after Maduro capture, Trump says

Despite the historic U.S. operation leading to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the embargo on Venezuelan oil has not been lifted, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday.

“The embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect. The American armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until the United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied,” the president said. “All political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

44 min(s) ago

AOC charges that Maduro capture not about drugs but ‘oil and regime change’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., accused the Trump administration of running a smokescreen to hide the real reason that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured Saturday. 

“It’s not about drugs,” Ocasio-Cortez said on X. “If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.”

President Donald Trump’s pardon last year of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández of a drug trafficking conviction was already a sticking point for several congressional Democrats and some Republicans, but Ocasio-Cortez and her colleagues have since argued that it’s a point of hypocrisy by the administration in the wake of Maduro’s extraction.

Trump and top officials have long accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with cartels and gangs that have been designated as terrorist organizations. Over the last year, the administration has carried out several strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean in an effort to stymie the flow of drugs into the U.S. 

But Ocasio-Cortez argued that the Trump administration’s motives were more sinister, and geared toward shifting the balance of power in Venezuela, along with pointing attention elsewhere from key issues in the U.S. 

“It’s about oil and regime change,” she continued. “And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”

Posted by Alex Miller Share

54 min(s) ago

US oil companies will ‘spend billions’ to fix broken infrastructure, Trump says

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that U.S. oil companies would spend “billions” to fix the oil infrastructure in Venezuela.

“As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust. A total bust for a long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could have been pumping and what could have taken place,” Trump said.

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go and spend billions of dollars to fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

1 hour(s) ago

Trump says US will run Venezuela after Maduro’s capture for now

Alex Brandon/AP Photo

President Donald Trump said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago that the United States will temporarily run Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said from his Palm Beach, Fla., residence. “So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country. It’s their homeland.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

1 hour(s) ago

Trump shares image of Maduro aboard USS Iwo Jima after historic US operation in Venezuela

President Donald Trump/Truth Social

President Donald Trump shared an image of Venezuela dictator Nicolás Maduro aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima.

The dictator appeared in a gray sweatsuit and was seemingly blindfolded and restrained. He was also holding a plastic water bottle.

Overnight, the U.S. carried out strikes in Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife. The duo are on their way to New York where they will stand trial for criminal charges.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

1 hour(s) ago

Speaker Johnson touts ‘justified,’ ‘decisive’ action to extract Maduro, lawmakers to get briefings

Screenshot of Johnson’s statement

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., backed President Donald Trump’s decision to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife amid partisan praise and backlash for the early Saturday operation.

“Today’s military action in Venezuela was a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives,” Johnson said in a statement on X.

“Nicolas Maduro is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans after years of trafficking illegal drugs and violent cartel members into our country — crimes for which he’s been properly indicted in U.S. courts and an arrest warrant duly issued — and today he learned what accountability looks like,” he continued.

Trump confirmed that Maduro and his wife were captured after strikes and taken from the country after strikes in Venezuela’s capital Caracas. He’s expected to address the nation on the operation at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Meanwhile, the strikes have driven yet another partisan wedge between the aisles in Washington, D.C. Johnson and congressional Republicans have largely come to bat for Trump and the administration. The speaker said the president’s move “will no longer allow criminal regimes to profit from wreaking havoc and destruction on our country.”

And the speaker noted that lawmakers would soon be clued in on what happened over the weekend.“The Trump Administration is working to schedule briefings for Members as Congress returns to Washington next week,” Johnson said. “Our brave military personnel who executed a precise, successful operation deserve our gratitude and congratulations.”

Posted by Alex Miller Share

2 hour(s) ago

Mexico condemns US action in Venezuela as violation of United Nations charter

Henry Romero/Reuters

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned U.S. action in Venezuela, saying that it was carried out in violation of the United Nations Charter.

The Mexican president posted on X verbatim Article 2, Section 4 of the U.N. Charter, which reads “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

In a statement, the Mexican government called for “respect for international law” after the U.S. carried out strikes on Venezuela overnight and captured its leader Nicolás Maduro. 

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

2 hour(s) ago

UN chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by US strikes on Venezuela, capture of Maduro

Chalinee Thirasupa/Pool/Reuters

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply alarmed” after the U.S. carried out strikes in Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolás Maduro, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement to Fox News.

“Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected,” Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General calls on all actors in Venezuela to engage in inclusive dialogue, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law.”

The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) could possibly hold an emergency meeting on Saturday following the U.S. actions in Venezuela, Fox News has learned. Reports indicate that Venezuela could have demanded the meeting. Additionally, Russia, which condemned the U.S. strikes, publicly called for an “immediate meeting” of the UNSC.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

2 hour(s) ago

Trump reveals Maduro and wife were taken to USS Iwo Jima by helicopter

Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

President Donald Trump told “Fox & Friends Weekend” that Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife were taken by helicopter to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. The two were captured during an operation on Saturday morning in Caracas.

Fox News host Griff Jenkins asked Trump , “Before we let you go, though, can you tell us where Maduro and his wife are right this second?””

Well, they’ll be heading to New York,” Trump said. Griffin interjected, “were they taken to a ship first?”

“Yes, the Iwo Jima,” Trump said. “They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.”

“Even people in their own country. They killed a lot of people to maintain power. He’s a very vicious person.”

Earlier on Saturday, Trump confirmed on Truth Social that the U.S. carried out strikes in Caracas and captured both Maduro and his wife.

Fox News has learned that Maduro could make an appearance in federal court in New York, where he was indicted years ago, as soon as Monday.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

3 hour(s) ago

Russia condemns US ‘act of armed aggression’ in Venezuela

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) condemned U.S. strikes on Venezuela, saying that the U.S. carried out “an act of armed aggression” that “gives rise to deep concern [and] warrants condemnation.”

“The pretexts used to justify these actions are untenable,” the Russian MFA wrote in a post on X. “Russia reaffirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people.”

In a longer statement, Russia’s MFA called for the prevention of further escalation and urged the U.S. and Venezuela “to focus on finding a solution through dialogue.” The Kremlin added that “Latin America must remain a zone of peace, as it proclaimed itself in 2014.”

This comes as the Trump administration has been attempting to negotiate peace in the nearly four-year-long Ukraine-Russia war. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 during the Biden administration.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

3 hour(s) ago

Trump speaks to ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ hours after US strikes on Venezuela, capture of Maduro

Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump spoke with “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday morning just hours after the U.S. hit Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolás Maduro.

The president said that he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago.

“It’s just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,” Trump said of the historic operation.

When asked about critics who have emerged in the hours since the strikes, Trump brushed it off, saying that they were “weak, stupid people.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

3 hour(s) ago

Maduro could make NY federal court appearance as soon as Monday, Fox News learns

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro could make an initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan as soon as this coming Monday, Fox News is told.

The timing could change at this stage, but his appearance will happen “likely Monday,” Fox News learned.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. carried out a strike on Venezuela early Saturday and captured Maduro and his wife, who have been flown out of the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated that Maduro and his wife had already been indicted in the Southern District of New York.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

4 hour(s) ago

Trump ‘offered multiple off ramps’ to Maduro before US strikes, Vance says

Vice President JD Vance stood by President Donald Trump’s decision to carry out strikes in Venezuela and to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says,” Vance wrote on X.

“Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation,” he added.

The strikes on Venezuela and capture of Maduro have been praised and condemned across the globe. While some countries expressed concern that the move would lead to chaos in the region, others cheered on the U.S.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

4 hour(s) ago

US capture of Maduro championed, condemned across world stage after surgical Venezuela strikes

World leaders were sharply divided Saturday after the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela and President Donald Trump announced that the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez condemned what he called a “criminal attack,” writing on X that, “Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted.” Communist Cuba is a supporter of the Maduro government and has been a longtime adversary of the United States.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his government viewed the reports coming out of Venezuela “with deep concern,” and he warned against further escalation, claiming the U.S. strikes risked destabilizing the region.

“The Colombian Government rejects any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or put the civilian population at risk,” Petro wrote on X.

Meanwhile, President Javier Milei of Argentina, a close ally of Trump, praised the news by sharing a previous video of him denouncing Maduro’s “narco-terrorist” regime as a regional threat and urging Latin American leaders to back U.S. pressure to end it.

“Long live freedom, dammit!” Milei wrote, using his signature pro-freedom chant.

Posted by Michael Dorgan Share

4 hour(s) ago

Maduro spoke of potential Trump olive branch in car interview days before capture by US forces

Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters

Days before he was captured by U.S. forces, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said that his government was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. aimed at fighting drug trafficking.

The pre-taped interview was staged with Maduro seated behind the wheel of a car and driving with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet in the passenger seat while they discussed a potential deal. In the clip that aired on state TV, Maduro said Venezuela is “ready” to discuss a drug-trafficking deal with the U.S. He called on the countries to “start talking seriously, with data in hand.”

“The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,” he said. “If they want oil, Venezuela is ready for U.S. investment, like with Chevron, whenever they want it, wherever they want it and however they want it.”

Chevron Corp. is the only major U.S. oil company currently exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

4 hour(s) ago

Cuban-born US congressman champions Maduro’s capture as ‘equivalent to the Fall of the Berlin Wall’

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who was born in Cubaand serves on the House Armed Services Committee, praised the Trump administration for striking Venezuela and capturing Nicolás Maduro.

“President Trump has changed the course of history in our hemisphere. Our country and the world are safer for it,” Gimenez wrote on X. “Today’s decisive action is this hemisphere’s equivalent to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.”

“It’s a big day in Florida, where the majority of Venezuelan, Cuban and Nicaraguan exiles reside. This is the community I represent & we are overwhelmed with emotion and hope,” Gimenez added.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

4 hour(s) ago

Bondi vows Maduro, wife will face ‘full wrath of American justice’ on DOJ indictments after capture

Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed Saturday that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores will face the “full wrath of American justice” following their capture by U.S. forces in Venezuela and extraction from the country.

In an X post, Bondi reiterated that Maduro and his wife had been indicted in the Southern District of New York.

“Nicholas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi wrote.

“On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,” she added.

According to the State Department’s website, Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York in 2020 for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also reiterated on X that Maduro “was indicted in U.S. court nearly six years ago for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.”

“Nicolas Maduro wasn’t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation,” Cotton wrote.

The senator added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Maduro would “face justice for his crimes against our citizens.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

5 hour(s) ago

Maduro made a statement on state TV after US strikes started: report

Carlos Jasso/File Photo/Reuters

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reportedly made a statement on television and radio condemning the U.S.’s “grave military aggression” against his country.

Maduro reportedly said the U.S. strikes were carried out in violation of the United Nations Charter and that Washington put peace and stability at risk across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to The Miami Herald.

“This is an attack against the sovereignty of Venezuela,” Maduro reportedly said. 

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

6 hour(s) ago

Marco Rubio gives reminder that he has long assessed Maduro ‘is NOT the President of Venezuela’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted a reminder that he long asserted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was not the legitimate president of the country.

“Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States,” Rubio wrote in a post on X in July that he reposted following Maduro’s capture.

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. carried out overnight strikes in Venezuela and that Maduro had been “captured and flown out of the country.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

6 hour(s) ago

Venezuela demands proof of life for Maduro after US arrest

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded in audio played on state TV that the U.S. provide “proof of life” for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

“We demand that President Donald Trump’s government provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,” Rodriguez said, according to Reuters.

In August, the U.S. announced a $50 million bounty for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro.

President Donald Trump announced on Jan. 3 that the U.S. carried out overnight strikes in Venezuela and “captured” Maduro and his wife.

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

6 hour(s) ago

Maduro headed for criminal trial in US, Republican senator says

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said on Saturday that he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the U.S. carried out A major strike inside Venezuela.

Lee said Rubio told him the actions carried out in Venezuela were to protect U.S. personnel executing an arrest warrant for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The senator added that Rubio said Maduro is expected to stand trial in the U.S. on criminal charges.

“He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody,” Lee added in a subsequent post on X.

The Republican lawmaker announced his conversation with Rubio after  questioning the legality of the strikes in a previous post. However, after speaking with Rubio, Lee said he believed that “this action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.”

Posted by Rachel Wolf Share

7 hour(s) ago

US strikes Venezuela, captures Maduro and wife, Trump confirms

AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. military carried out a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela early Saturday morning and took Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife into custody, President Donald Trump confirmed.

The president wrote on Truth Social that the operation was successful and Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the country.” Trump said the operation was conducted with U.S. law enforcement and added that a news conference will take place at Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

At least seven explosions could be heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas early Saturday morning, according to The Associated Press, and low-flying aircraft were seen flying over Caracas at about 2 a.m. local time.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement that “the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira” were impacted by the attack.

Posted by Michael Sinkewicz Share