US President Donald Trump said he watched live as American forces carried out the military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, describing the raid as “like a television show” and signalling that Washington now plans to be “strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry.
Speaking in telephone interviews with Fox News and Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump said he followed the operation in real time from Mar-a-Lago, monitoring video feeds that showed US forces breaching fortified locations. “I mean, I watched it, literally, like I was watching a television show,” Trump said. “If you would have seen the speed, the violence — we watched every aspect of it.”
Follow Venezuela blasts live updatesTrump said Maduro was captured from a heavily guarded compound. “He was in a fortress,” he said, calling the mission a “brilliant operation” that involved extensive planning. He said US forces broke through steel doors within seconds. “I’ve never seen anything like it, actually,” he added.
The operation unfolded early Saturday, when explosions rocked Caracas. At least seven loud blasts were reported across the Venezuelan capital, accompanied by air raid sirens and low-flying aircraft. Shortly before the explosions, the US Federal Aviation Administration banned American commercial flights from Venezuelan airspace, citing concerns over “ongoing military activity,” according to the Associated Press.
Trump said no American troops were killed during the mission. “That we had nobody killed was amazing,” he said, adding that “a couple of guys were hit” but were expected to recover. He suggested a helicopter involved in the operation may have been struck, without providing details.
Also read | 'Subjected to criminal military aggression': Venezuela govt after US attack — what we know so farFollowing the strike, Trump announced the capture of Maduro and his wife in a post on Truth Social, describing the action as a “large scale” operation conducted in conjunction with US law enforcement. He later said Maduro and Flores were flown by helicopter out of Venezuela and taken to the USS Iwo Jima, one of several US warships operating in the Caribbean.
“They’ll be heading into New York,” Trump told Fox News, suggesting Maduro could soon face US courts. Fox News reported that Maduro could make an initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan as early as Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the couple have already been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including narcotics-related offenses.
Trump also said the United States would now be “strongly involved in Venezuela’s oil industry” following the operation, though he did not provide details on how that involvement would unfold. He said he was now “making a decision on what’s next for Venezuela leadership.”
Also read | US strikes Venezuela: What it means for oil supply and prices? Impact on IndiaThe strikes followed months of increased US military presence in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and other warships in the Caribbean.
Trump dismissed criticism from lawmakers questioning the legality of the operation, saying critics should be praising the mission rather than challenging it. “They should say great job,” he said.
He also warned Venezuelan officials against remaining loyal to Maduro. “If they stay loyal, the future is really bad for them,” Trump said, claiming that many had already shifted their allegiance. Several senior Venezuelan officials, however, condemned the US action on state television.
According to people familiar with the mission, elite US units were involved. The CIA identified Maduro’s location, while US Army Delta Force carried out the raid, supported by coordinated air, sea and ground operations in what was described as a highly classified “snatch-and-grab” mission.
Venezuela’s government declared a national emergency following the attack. Before reports of his capture emerged, Maduro accused the United States of “criminal military aggression” against civilian and military installations and called for the “mobilisation” of the population, according to AFP.
Maduro has faced US criminal charges since 2020, with Washington accusing his government of corruption, drug trafficking and undermining democratic institutions — allegations consistently denied by Venezuelan authorities.
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