The US captures Maduro
That’s a sentence I didn’t expect to be writing. And yet it’s true:
Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by US forces during a “large-scale” nighttime military operation early Saturday, President Trump announced.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement. Details to follow.”
You can find more information in this Instapundit post, including the fact that China didn’t seem to have anticipated this, and the following:
I’m with some Cubans right now and they’re literally crying tears of joy.
Venezuelans are celebrating all over the globe too.
If anyone thinks this military operation was a bad idea you have NO idea how many votes we just gained for the midterms.
Trump is now the absolute hero of the Latin Americans.
I have little doubt that most Venezuelans, both refugees and those still in that long-suffering country, are happy. And people of Cuban descent in the US? Likewise. Secretary of State Rubio is, of course, one of those Americans of Cuban descent, who issued this statement a while back:
Before the U.S. captured and indicted Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was “NOT the president of Venezuela.”
In a post on X from July 2025, Rubio made clear the Trump administration’s stance on Maduro’s authority in the country, adding that “his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”
“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.
Recently the reward for Maduro’s capture was upped to fifty million dollars. Will someone receive it? Intelligence had to have been very good to be able to pull this off.
The left will be very upset by this action, to say the least.
The legal precedent seems to be the capture of Noriega in 1989. To refresh your memory:
Noriega’s relationship with the U.S. deteriorated in the late 1980s after the murder of Hugo Spadafora and the forced resignation of President Nicolás Ardito Barletta. Eventually, his relationship with intelligence agencies in other countries came to light, and his involvement in drug trafficking was investigated further. In 1988, Noriega was indicted by federal grand juries in Miami and Tampa on charges of racketeering, drug smuggling, and money laundering. The U.S. launched an invasion of Panama following failed negotiations seeking his resignation, and Noriega’s annulment of the 1989 Panamanian general election. Noriega was captured and flown to the U.S., where he was tried on the Miami indictment, convicted on most of the charges, and sentenced to 40 years in prison, ultimately serving 17 years after a reduction in his sentence for good behavior. Noriega was extradited to France in 2010, where he was convicted and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment for money laundering. In 2011 France extradited him to Panama, where he was incarcerated for crimes committed during his rule, for which he had been tried and convicted in absentia in the 1990s. Diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2017, Noriega suffered complications during surgery, and died two months later.
Noriega’s dictatorship was marked by repression of the media, an expansion of the military, and the persecution of political opponents, effectively controlling the outcomes of any elections.
The parallels are not exact, but they certainly exist and include a stolen election. One big difference is that the capture of Noriega (Bush I was president) involved “27,000 soldiers, as well as 300 aircraft,” which is a far cry from what happened in Venezuela in the wee hours of this morning.
The case at bar [1990] presents the Court with a drama of international proportions, considering the status of the principal defendant and the difficult circumstances under which he was brought before this Court. …
On February 14, 1988, a federal grand jury sitting in Miami, Florida returned a twelve-count indictment charging General Manuel Antonio Noriega with participating in an international conspiracy to import cocaine and materials used in producing cocaine into and out of the United States. …
As is evident from the unusual factual background underlying this case, the Court is presented with several issues of first impression. This is the first time that a leader or de facto leader of a sovereign nation has been forcibly brought to the United States to face criminal charges. …
In sum, because Noriega’s conduct in Panama is alleged to have resulted in a direct effect within the United States, the Court concludes that extraterritorial jurisdiction is appropriate as a matter of international law. […] Jurisdiction over Defendant’s extraterritorial conduct is therefore appropriate both as a matter of international law and statutory construction. …
Rather than supporting Defendants’ overall position pressed under the Geneva Convention, this Article appears to recognize the right to prosecute asserted by the Government. The Article refers to “prisoners … prosecuted under the laws of the Detaining Power” (i.e., the United States) and for acts “committed prior to capture.” Further, the benefits of the Convention shall be afforded the POW “even if convicted.” The indictment charges the Defendants with violations of the laws of the United States allegedly committed between December 1982 and March 1986 – well before the military action and apprehension by surrender.
The mullahs must be very unhappy; Iran is a big ally of Maduro’s. I doubt they’re feeling especially safe today. I wonder whether the Venezuela strike was partly an effort to “persuade” them it might be in their interests to step down.
This not-so-surprising group of nations has condemned Maduro’s capture:
Iran, Colombia, Hezbollah, and Russia condemned the military operation performed by the United States in Venezuela on Saturday, where US special forces troops captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, while major US allies like Germany, Spain, and Italy said they were following the situation closely.
Iran, an ally of Venezuela, said that the military attack on Venezuela was “a blatant violation of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Hezbollah stated that it “condemns the terrorist aggression and American thuggery against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and “further affirms its full solidarity with Venezuela – its people, presidency, and government – in confronting this American aggression and arrogance.”
A very important question is: who will succeed Maduro? We don’t know at present:
A contender who could replace Maduro is Edmundo González, who was recognized by the U.S. as the winner of the disputed 2024 presidential election.
Maduro’s party nevertheless claimed victory and the country’s highest court upheld his re-election. An arrest warrant was later issued for González, and he fled to Spain amid concerns for his safety.
Meanwhile María Corina Machado, the true opposition leader and head of the Vente Venezuela party, could also take over. Machado overwhelmingly won a 2023 presidential primary, but was blocked from running for president by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice.
Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and appeared in Oslo after escaping Venezuela. She had been in hiding since 2024.
There are other contenders, of course:
Diosdado Cabello emerges as the most feared and influential figure in the regime. La Nación describes him as the longtime number two of Chavismo, with sweeping control over party machinery and the propaganda apparatus. …
Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and one of Maduro’s closest political operators, is another senior figure positioned for any succession scenario. …
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president, is described as a central political operator within the regime and part of a powerful governing duo with her brother Jorge. …
Ivan Hernández Dala heads Venezuela’s military counterintelligence service (DGCIM) and commands the presidential guard, making him one of the most feared figures in the security apparatus. His control over internal repression gives him significant leverage in any power struggle. …
Vladimir Padrino López, Venezuela’s long-serving defense minister, is portrayed by La Nación as the backbone of the military establishment and the guarantor of Maduro’s survival.
Where are they now?
Maduro didn’t have many allies among Western nations, and so it will be interesting to see what Europe ends up saying about this action against Maduro.
Neo beat me to it! (That is, Instapundit’s extensive roundup, PLUS much more.)
Just WOW!
Just hope Venezuela doesn’t descend into a Civil War.
Sounds like a very clean, quick op.
Will there be any more drug boats headed to the US?
I’m not against the capture of Maduro but I do hope Team Trump has thought this through.
This is sure to be spun by enemies as further evidence that Trump is an out-of-control monster. There may be unpleasant reprisals.
OTOH, in the past few decades hundreds of thousands of Americans, more than in WW II, have died of cartel drugs — fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines. I count my younger sister among them.
I don’t see why the US should stand by and allow mass drug trafficking into America when the trafficking is partly sponsored by foreign governments.
If anyone thinks this military operation was a bad idea you have NO idea how many votes we just gained for the midterms.
https://x.com/JoeyMannarino/status/2007400498572255602
_________________________________
I’m not counting those chickens yet.
huxley:
I agree that there are substantial risks – in my opinion, who comes next as Venezuela’s ruler is the biggest one. But I would assume the administration has at least some intelligence on that, although I doubt it can be totally foreseen or influenced. But my guess is they’ll do their best to make it Machado/Gonzalez.
As for what the world thinks, I doubt Trump much cares. Thing is, much of the world is on record against Maduro, and that may act as a brake on their outrage even though they can’t stand Trump. For example:
Seems relatively tepid to me.
AOC, Tampon Tim and our progressives black-robed rulers are especially outraged at this although the NGO lawyers will anticipate a windfall of billable hours.
No one expects The Spanish Inquisition.
Iran didn’t expect their nuke facilities to go kaboom either (MOP them up he did).
Happy New Year indeed.
If Biden or Cackling Harris or perhaps the next president Gavin Newsom, had ordered this action, the US media would be over the top, effusive in their support of this action. They would be reporting 24/7 how it was necessary to get rid of Maduro and how his alignment with drug cartels are responsible for the deaths of thousands of US citizens.
But alas, it was Trump who ordered this action and , according to the media, it illustrates yet again that Trump is Hitler and that he is a menace to the world and he aims to become a dictator.
It really is impossible to hate the MSM too much.
I looked at Caracas Chronicles, the Venezuelan oppo blog. Didn’t have a lot.
Also a tweet from Trump that there will be a press conference at 11 am.
The question I have is: will the US be able to knock out the Cartel del Soles?
Cross-posted from the Open Thread:
I listened to a twenty-minute phone call from Trump to Fox News this morning (9-9:30 hour). He watched the operation live from the secure room at Mar-a-Lago. This was long planned and trained for, including a mock-up of Maduro’s safe house for practice by special forces. (Which exact unit was not revealed.) They had wanted to go four days ago but had to wait for weather to clear. Maduro had been offered, by phone a week ago, safe passage for himself and his family but he refused. His drug and weapons indictment is in New York and that’s where he’s headed, aboard the Iwo Jima, to which he was carried by helicopter. Trump said all equipment was returned to U.S. ships, but one helicopter was hit, with injuries. He thinks no U.S. fatalities.
huxley, neo:
Take the win.
IrishOtter49:
My main fear for the Trump administration is overreach. The world is a complicated place.
I think the most important point is that the US knew exactly where Maduro would be exactly when.
No amount of military power or political posturing could succeed without that. So, what else do we know?
And in the Middle East, we can talk to Mossad who are everywhere.
Various individuals must be contemplating this as opposed to missile bases and security forces and other hardware usually considered protection. You don’t need to think about being captured when somebody can put a missile in your window. And knows which window.
“His drug and weapons indictment is in New York and that’s where he’s headed”
What happens when some NY judge decides the whole operation was illegal and that Maduro’s rights have been violated?
Noodling it this morning, snatching the head of state of a country we’re not at war with is the kind of thing that very few countries can actually do. “International norms” are fake: there’s only force and the threat of force that keeps peace. I don’t think we need to worry much about precedents even if we hadn’t done it before in 1988. UN General Assembly condemned the 1988 operation, but that meant nothing. There were no consequences.
If Putin could do this to Zelenskiy, does anyone doubt he would have? It’s not “the norm” that stops him. Lot of Victor Davis Hanson fans here; he’s commented on the Melian Dialogue enough. In international relations, the strong do as they will, the weak suffer what they must. There’s no monopoly of force that can change that.
I think the real risk here is that a Hawaiian judge orders Maduro released, which is going to make Trump look a little silly. Won’t do Maduro any favors though, to send him back to Venezuela, but I suppose we don’t know what’s there yet. Maybe some sleazo caudillo will keep his chair warm for him.
It’s not like we’re in Venezuela for ten or twenty years of “nation-building” (sorry GOPe). Except for the Hawaiian judge factor, it could be an example of pour encourager les autres.
Candace and Tucker hardest hit.
This makes the 2026 election starkly critical. If the Dems take control of the house, impeachment will begin the day after a new House leader is chosen.
We had every legal right to bomb the drug boats, we had every legal right to seize the oil leaving Venezuela to compensate legal claims by US oil companies.
This is more comparable to Iraq– but then we had created a coalition to get UN approval and a consensus in Congress. I think we’re in uncharted territory.
He should have worked to get Maduro to agree to new elections under strict supervision. I imagine he was working to that end and Maduro refused.
huxley,
There are some pundits whom I generally admire (like the Fifth Column podcast guys) who seem to completely miss the boat on your point regarding the drug war foreign countries have been waging on our citizens. It’s similar with the tariffs. Yeah, I get the Econ 101 math, tariffs are bad. But what about the fact that foreign countries, especially China, are using trade and economics to harm our citizens and economy. Pure economics may say Labor rates and shipping costs warrant manufacturing all antibiotics in China, but what are the risks to the U.S.?
The world, as it is, is not a level playing field. To butcher an idiom, “you may not be interested in the drug war, but it’s interested in you, and your family members.”
The left minions are, of course going crazy. It only adds to their TDS. They are claiming it’s all for the oil and for Trump to set up his own oil company. As if he needs the money. And as mentioned above, he is a threat to peace of the entire world.
In the meantime, AT has a list of reactions from those who count:
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/01/venezuela_is_free.html
I also saw a video, can’t find it anymore, of people celebrating and lining the streets in Caracas.
I agree that the fly in the ointment is going to be the transition government and how it handles the obvious blowback from the bad guys still there.
So many sheep bleating about failure to use “international law”. Leftists advocate that when their totalitarian moves are blocked. The Monroe Doctrine lives !
Take the win.
==
The cannoli too.
Time will tell, but with the willingness of Maduro’s VP to work with the US in the administration of Venezuela as it rebuilds and restores self-government it appears the future will look more like Macarthur and Japan than post-conflict Iraq or Afghanistan. Lesson learned, perhaps
On the Open Thread I mentioned some of the links that Sarah Hoyt had posted over at Instapundit. Niketas Choniates‘ post here inspired me to link to one of them. Machiavelli on the subject.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/victory-is-all-that-matters/
Re: Machiavelli
__________________________
Never when he [Castracani — Machiavelli’s exemplar] could win by fraud did he attempt to win by force because, as he used to say, it is victory, not the manner in which it is obtained, which brings glory.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/victory-is-all-that-matters/
__________________________
Democrats live by the virtue of fraud over force and that victory is all that matters. I would prefer to consider further possibilities.
Tariffs are not “bad”, there are enormous costs incurred managing imports and exports. Tariffs are a reasonable offset to those costs.
Maduro’s VP is reportedly in or on her way to Russia.
No one is going to save Maduro. No judge is going there. I think the Somali fraud is the breaking point and the beginning of the end of the donkey party.
The next shoe to drop may be Mexico. See this article
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/something-gonna-done-mexico-trump-154448760.html
huxley: “This is sure to be spun by enemies as further evidence that Trump is an out-of-control monster.”
How does that differ from any other action Trump has ever taken, including combing his hair?
Donald Trump is the Elon Musk of presidents.
During the news about the post-election fracas in Venezuela, I saw some photos or a video—IIRC Neo had linked to it— which showed a room of Venezuelan electoral council employees and their computer screens. The video scanned the computer screens in the room, all of which which showed graphic election results. Red–the Chavista/Maduro side–graphics were all in the minority.
I supposed that our Democrat friends will tell us that electoral fraud is no one’s business.
This op is straight out of the “The Pentagon’s New Map”: (War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century Hardcover – April 26, 2004
by Thomas P.M. Barnett -Author)
Basically, “TPNM” explains the strategy and tactics to use military and economic pressure to transform Third World countries (Gap countries) into better functioning more successful countries. (Core countries.)
It’s an idea based on the premise that most people are yearning to be free and capitalistic, like here in the U.S.
I think the premise is wrong as proven by the failure of the Global War on Terror. And further so by the fact that we have recently elected several Democratic Socialists here in the U.S.
During his first term, Trump steered clear of getting involved in “transforming the world” with military and economic power. He seems to have changed his mind.
I agree with huxley. This could go very wrong. Trump says we will run Venezuela until a transition can be carried out. Hmm, where have we heard that before? Iraq? Afghanistan?
I sincerely hope they have a solid plan that will restore Venezuela to a functioning democracy. If they succeed, Trump and his team deserve a lot of praise. But it will not, IMO, prove that “TPNM’s” theory is correct.
How does that differ from any other action Trump has ever taken, including combing his hair?
FOAF:
There are straws which can break the camel’s back. I don’t know if this is one, but as an engineer I know everything has trade-offs. Sending in a special forces team to kidnap the leader of another country is a drastic step.
I include in my concerns the possibility Democrats can use this to harden opposition in the 2026 midterms, which could be serious in the House elections.
Update from Venland: Caracas Chronicles: What’s Happening in Venezuela? Start Here.
Colectivos are motorcycle gangs used as enforcers—a.k.a. “muscle”—against regime opponents. (In some countries, colectivos are city buses. :))
Contrary to reports that she is in Moscow, VP Delcy Rodriguez is in Venezuela.
From what I have read over the years, I get the impression that Maduro is a puppet. No Hugo, he. As such, taking Maduro out is just a piece of the puzzle. While Maduro most likely lost the recent election by a landslide (70-30 guesstimate), his regime has a lot of supporters, and a lot of supporters with guns. This battle is just beginning.
I would like to have the Cubans involved in intelligence in Venezuela sent back to Havana in pine boxes.
Some of these heads (or adjacent) of government imagine themselves Grand Chess Masters and the world is their chessboard. James Baker under both Bushes is a great example. Is Trump doing this to a relatively inconsequential country to send a message to Iran? And will that, in turn, send a message to Putin? Although I voted for Trump 3 times, things like this make me uneasy and I won’t give him a thumbs up for the time being. I guess just the concept of entering a sovereign nation (however deplorable) and kidnapping its “leader” rubs me the wrong way. I’ll just have to trust that this was deliberated a lot and serious people (not the James Baker types!!) were involved when (if) it was thought through.
I’m amused by people claiming this action is unprecedented. Just shows how short memories are. Reagan did the same thing to Noriega, and I don’t recall any leftwing judges ordering his release back then.
A little perspective here would be helpful, especially to the adherents of the
Donkey Party who are foaming with rage.
In 1916, just a little bit over 110 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson (D) ordered the U.S. Army into Mexico to catch the bandit Pancho Villa. General Pershing commanding. They chased him for some time but never caught him
Point is, there we have a President ordering the invasion of a foreign country
WITH NO DECLARATION OF WAR.
Jefferson did not have a D of W to send Marines into Tripoli (now Algeria).
Reagan did not have a D of W to invade Grenada.
And on and on and on.
Dems need to learn them some history.
I have a friend who says Maduro made a deal, what you saw was a show.
This Frontline interview of LTG Jay Garner from July 2003 about his experience before, during and after his tenure as head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. We’ll soon see whether we’ve applied the lessons learned that he describes. Day one planning, contracting requires appropriations, and restoring communications and essential infrastructure.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/truth/interviews/garner.html
The Venezuela opposition leader Maria Machado is impressive. See this video where she explains that the leftists who complain about the United States invading Venezuela, are ignoring that Venezuela has already been invaded by terrorists like Hamas and Hezbolah and the narcotics cartels.
https://x.com/TLNewmanMTL/status/2007435617643241968
Niketas Choniates on January 3, 2026 at 12:01 pm”
“… I think the real risk here is that a Hawaiian judge orders Maduro released,…”
That is an interesting and damning prospect. But this Blaze article suggests some people are beginning to question the wisdom of Trump (and the Executive Branch) being overly accommodating to the excesses of the Judicial branch:
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/the-courts-are-running-the-country-and-trump-is-letting-it-happen
The courts are running the country — and Trump is letting it happen
Daniel Horowitz
December 30, 2025
My general perception was that any two branches working together could end up holding a misbehaving third branch to account, but we may not yet have the Congress needed to help put the Judiciary back into proper balance.
Somewhere this evening I saw or heard that Maduro and his wife were running towards their safe room, and actually got to the door, but were captured before they could get “safely” inside.
If the US teams had mocked up the Maduro’s compound for practice tactical exercises (as was done to capture bin Laden) I presume they would have had a contingency for breaching even that safe room.
If there was a $50M reward for the capture of Maduro, I suspect there must be a dozen or more brave Venezuelans who deserve a share of that reward for their contributions of intelligence info.
I would like to say a word of commendation to all the hundreds of people involved in this operation who did NOT leak its existence to the New York Times.
Reearching another comment in re Mamdani and NYC, I encountered this post by Bill Whittle from the past, where he discussed some of the origins of the disaster in Venezuela.
The podcast is missing, and I didn’t find it on The Internet Archive.
Check out the Mamdani post today for some similar videos by Whittle.
https://billwhittle2.com/socialism-is-for-suckers-venezuela/
“Since socialists are unwilling or unable to look at what their philosophy does to people, Firewall host Bill Whittle shows us what it is doing to the animals, and asks how the richest person in Venezuela just happens to be the daughter of the socialist former President of that starving country.”
This post covers some of the same territory.
https://archive.org/details/nratv_nr-170317-stinchfield-s01-e54-12pm-oc-vdgm
“Bill Whittle and Grant discuss the problems that arise in countries that have socialistic forms of government such as Venezuela.”
Maduro was indicted on March 26, 2020.
He held, then rigged, an election in which he lost but claimed he won and kept power. The USA did not recognize him as the legitimate leader, tho he was de facto.
I’m glad he was arrested. Very very glad no Americans died.
I thought Maduro was going to make a deal with Trump & leave with $100 million. But then Maduro wanted amnesty for some 100 allies.
Maybe this is part of a new deal, with none of those 100 allies getting a parachute, neither golden nor cloth. I guess not, but being wrong wouldn’t surprise me.
Fantastic arrested of a bad guy.
Who starts running Venezuela now?
I guess the VP makes a transitional deal with the opposition for new elections, very soon.
https://donsurber.substack.com/p/the-three-hour-war-in-venezuela?utm_source=post-banner&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true
@ Tom Grey: ” I thought Maduro was going to make a deal with Trump & leave with $100 million. But then Maduro wanted amnesty for some 100 allies.”
Maybe Trump should have said “OK, we will amnesty your 100 allies, but you have to pay them out of the $100M being allocated to you”. Might have dropped to only 10 allies really quickly!
“…pine boxes…”
“Cuba Govt: 32 Cubans Killed During Maduro Extraction”—
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/cuba-32-killed-maduro/2026/01/04/id/1240763/
I’ve gleaned some informed perspective from Fox News expert interviews (while admittedly channel surfing). Gen. Jack Keane and a Heritage Foundation expert from Venezuela among them.
Apparently, the Venezuelan Constitution has a proviso in the event of unforeseen interruption of top leadership. First, the Vice President now controls their government. Second, he or she must declare an election within 45 days.
There are many chess pieces on the chessboard of this country’s domestic politics, including important players yet to surface who haven’t because of fear of reprisals. The above FNC experts also suggest that many fringes of the nation may have and may exercise independent control that differs from the leadership in the Capitol. Fragmenting authority remains a real possibility.
Furthermore, one can well imagine other LatAm nations being called upon to provide security for this broken country — whether later for elections or sooner.
Much remains to be decided. huxley mentions that the Veep has already fled to Russia — this is news I haven’t caught up with, yet.
Many chess pieces, many moves and counter-moves to be settled before things become clear.