Good afternoon everyone. Donald Trump just finished a press conference on this morning’s strikes in Venezuela. Here is everything you need to know about the strikes, the press conference, and what’s to come. Subscribe to support my work if you can, it is going to be a very long Saturday, and I will bring you realtime updates throughout the day.
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President Donald Trump described the military action as unprecedented in scale and intensity. “It was an assault like people have not seen since World War 2,” Trump said.
Speaking about the future of Venezuela, Trump made clear that the United States intends to play a central role in the country’s transition. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he said.
Trump also emphasized the economic dimension of U.S. involvement, particularly in the oil sector. “We are going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”
Referencing U.S. foreign policy history, Trump said, “All the way back to the Monroe doctrines. The Monroe doctrine was a big deal. We have superseded it by a lot. They now call it the Donroe doctrine, I don’t know. It is the Monroe doctrine.”
Trump later said that he expects the U.S. to get “very strongly involved” in the future of Venezuela’s oil industry now that Nicolas Maduro is no longer in control of it. “We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it,” he said on Fox News.
Donald Trump further did not rule out putting American troops on the ground, stating: “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground…We don’t mind saying it. We’re going to make sure that country is run properly.”
TRUMP: “Well, we're gonna be running it with a group. We're gonna make sure it's run properly. We're gonna rebuild the oil infrastructure which will cost billions of dollars.”
Trump on the president of Colombia: “He does have to watch his ass”
Legal developments followed the military action. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted an unsealed indictment in the case of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Federal prosecutors alleged that Maduro “is at the forefront of that corruption and has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.”
Read the indictment here.
In remarks extending beyond Venezuela, Trump sharply criticized Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. “The cartels are running Mexico. She’s not running Mexico. We could be politically correct and be nice and say, ‘Oh, yes, she is.’ No no. She’s very frightened of the cartels. They’re running Mexico. And I’ve asked her number times, ‘Would you like us to take out the cartels?’ ... something is gonna have to be done with Mexico.”
Trump also addressed domestic criticism of the operation. In a phone call with Fox News, the president called his critics “weak, stupid people” when asked directly about criticism from Democratic lawmakers for taking action in Venezuela without congressional approval. “Well, look, these are weak, stupid people,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” this morning, adding, “They’re trying to save themselves from almost destroying our country.”
“As far as last night is concerned, it was really genius. What they did is genius, and the Democrats, maybe they’ll take a shot, you know? They’ll take a shot. All they do is complain,” the president added later. “They should say, ‘You know what, we did a great job.’ ... They do say, ‘Oh, gee, maybe it’s not constitutional.’ You know, the same old stuff that we’ve been hearing for years and years and years.”
According to two U.S. officials who spoke with NBC News, President Donald Trump approved the U.S. military and law enforcement actions in Venezuela more than a week ago. Approval for the plan came before Christmas, and when the mission would actually occur was discussed almost hour by hour since then.
Trump later posted a photo on Truth Social appearing to show Maduro in captivity. “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima,” he wrote, referring to the amphibious assault ship in the U.S. Navy. The photo appears to show Maduro blindfolded and wearing headphones, dressed in a grey tracksuit and holding a bottle of water.
International reactions followed swiftly. Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado hailed the U.S. strikes and the capture of Maduro, saying “the hour of freedom has arrived.” “From today, Nicolas Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against the citizens of many other nations,” she said in a written statement. “The American government has lived up to its promise to uphold the law.” Some 8 million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years amid a worsening economy, international isolation and political repression.
Meanwhile, Trump says he has not spoken to Maria Corina Machado and that she doesn’t have the “respect” necessary to lead the country.
In the early hours of Saturday, the president of neighboring Colombia, Gustavo Petro, called for an immediate emergency session of the UN security council, saying on social media that Venezuela had come under attack.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was not involved in the operation and added that “we should all uphold international law.” France said the U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro went against the principles of international law.
Russia demanded “immediate” clarification about the circumstances of Maduro’s capture. Earlier, Venezuela’s vice-president Delcy Rodríguez said the U.S. needed to provide “proof of life” for Maduro.
Venezuelan allies Russia, Cuba and Iran condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty. Tehran urged the UN security council to stop the “unlawful aggression.” Among major Latin American nations, Argentina’s President Javier Milei praised Venezuela’s new “freedom,” while Mexico condemned the intervention and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it crossed “an unacceptable line.”