President Donald Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela after capturing Nicolás Maduro, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon officials overseeing transition plans.

President Donald Trump declared Saturday’s military operation that led to the ouster of Nicolás Maduro a major success.

In January 2026, the U.S. military struck Venezuela's capital and captured the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, under the orders of President Donald Trump. People on social media quickly began sharing what they claimed were images and videos of people in Venezuela responding to the attack.

Tensions between Trump and Maduro escalated in September after the U.S. government began attacking vessels off the coast of Venezuela, killing more than 100 people, in what Trump described as an effort to thwart drug smuggling.

President Donald Trump on Jan. 3 released the first photo of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima after his capture in an overnight U.S. military operation.

Doral, one of the largest Venezuelan communities in the US, has long been a stronghold of Donald Trump. Since American special forces captured Nicolás Maduro, the US president’s popularity here has gone through the roof.

Donald Trump's first administration offered a $15 million reward for any information on Maduro in 2020. Biden's State Department increased it.

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump have largely praised the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a swift, painless win, though political analysts warn support could wane if the operation drags on and echoes past foreign interventions.

President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, following the capture of the country's President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.