The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and removed him from the country in a dramatic military operation early Saturday, an escalation that follows months of mounting pressure from the Trump administration on the oil-rich South American nation.
According to the account provided, Maduro and his wife were taken overnight from their home on a military base and placed aboard a U.S. warship. They were reportedly en route to New York, where Maduro was expected to face criminal charges.
President Donald Trump said the United States planned to run Venezuela until a transition of power can take place. He also claimed the American presence was already in place. However, there were no immediate signs that the U.S. was actively running the country in the hours after the operation.
Inside Venezuela, state media continued operating. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro programming and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas to protest.
Trump says US officials will run Venezuela
When asked during a press conference who would be running the country until a transition of power can take place, Trump said, “the people that are standing right behind me” are going to be running it “for a period of time.”
The statement suggested a temporary governing role for senior US officials, though details about what that would look like on the ground were not immediately clear.
Legal questions emerge
The operation raised immediate questions about legality and jurisdiction. The United States does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, and the legal implications of the strike under US law were not immediately clear.
The Trump administration maintains that Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela and claims he has effectively turned Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups.
Venezuela’s next steps remain unclear
Venezuela’s political future appeared uncertain in the immediate aftermath. By law, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez should take power, but there was no confirmation that had happened.
Maduro’s government accused the United States of an “imperialist attack” on civilian and military installations and urged citizens to take to the streets. Protest activity was already visible in Caracas through state television coverage, as supporters rallied in response to the developments.
As the situation unfolds, key questions remain about who is exercising authority inside Venezuela, what legal process Maduro will face in the United States, and whether a transition of power will occur through Venezuelan institutions or through external oversight.
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