The world woke up in shock after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a dramatic overnight operation in Caracas. Explosions echoed across the city before dawn, military bases were hit, and within hours, Maduro was on a U.S. warship heading to New York to face criminal charges. What followed was not just an arrest, but a political earthquake that is still shaking Washington, Latin America, and the global order.
President Donald Trump quickly confirmed that Maduro and his wife had been “captured and flown out of the country.” A photo released later showed Maduro under guard aboard the USS Iwo Jima. Trump said the mission, planned for months and delayed four days due to bad weather, was carried out by Delta Force soldiers with FBI agents on the ground. The operation was reportedly named Absolute Resolve, and Trump claimed he had offered Maduro a chance to surrender a week earlier.
In Caracas, fear and confusion spread fast. Around 2 a.m. local time, residents reported at least seven explosions near La Carlota airfield and the Fuerte Tiuna military base. Low-flying aircraft swept over the capital as Venezuela activated all its defense systems. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof that Maduro was alive, saying the government did not know where he was, and denying claims that she had been sworn in as his successor.
Hours later, Trump went further. From his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, he announced that the United States would now “run the country” until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be arranged. He said Washington would govern Venezuela “with a group” and pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and General Dan Caine standing behind him. Yet when reporters pressed for details, clear answers did not come.
Trump claimed that Delcy Rodríguez was “willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” even though Venezuelan authorities said no such swearing-in had happened. He openly said the U.S. was not afraid of “boots on the ground” and warned that a second, much larger attack was possible if needed. The message was blunt: America was prepared to stay and use force again.
A major part of Trump’s plan focused on oil. He said large U.S. oil companies would enter Venezuela, spend billions of dollars, rebuild the broken oil infrastructure, and start making money “for the country.” To supporters, this sounded like recovery. To critics, it sounded like confirmation that the mission was never really about democracy.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered one of the strongest reactions. In a sharp statement, she said, “Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.” While calling Maduro a “brutal, illegitimate dictator,” Harris warned that this operation was “both unlawful and unwise.” She added, “We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price.”
Harris rejected the idea that the mission was about drugs or democracy. “This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” she said. She accused Trump of hypocrisy, pointing out that he pardoned a convicted drug trafficker while sidelining Venezuela’s legitimate opposition and pursuing deals with Maduro’s allies. “The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to,” she added.
She also warned of the risks. According to Harris, the president is putting U.S. troops in danger, spending billions of dollars, destabilizing an entire region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no real benefit for Americans at home. She concluded that America needs leadership focused on lowering costs, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and putting the American people first.
The legal question quickly became central. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the operation did not need Congressional approval. He described it as a law enforcement action supported by the military. “This was not the kind of mission that you can do Congressional notification on,” Rubio said. He reminded reporters that Maduro was indicted in the U.S. in 2020, calling him a fugitive with a $50 million reward. “I guess we’re saving $50 million now,” he added.
Trump himself suggested Congress was not informed because the plan might have leaked. That explanation only fueled more anger in Washington. Democratic Senator Mark Warner warned that the U.S. was crossing a dangerous line. He asked what would stop China from using the same logic against Taiwan, or Russia from abducting Ukraine’s president. “Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse,” Warner said, warning that authoritarian regimes would be the first to exploit it.
Warner also highlighted what he called glaring hypocrisy. He compared the Venezuela operation to Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been convicted in a U.S. court on serious drug trafficking charges. He argued that Washington cannot justify invading one country over drug allegations while forgiving another leader for similar crimes.
Republicans in Congress largely backed Trump. Senator Roger Wicker praised the mission and said it was the result of months of effort to weaken what he called narco-terrorist organizations overseen by Maduro. He urged Venezuelans to act quickly to put their country back on a path to peace and prosperity, saying this would benefit the entire region.
Outside government, experts urged caution. Daniel DePetris from the Defense Priorities think tank said the operation could bring massive change, but the outcome was uncertain. He warned of possible military splits, growth of criminal groups, civil war, or even the rise of a worse autocrat. None of these, he said, would be good for regional stability or U.S. interests.
DePetris also questioned the shifting reasons behind the intervention. Over recent months, the Trump administration moved from talking about drugs, to oil, to democracy, while calling Venezuela a major security threat. “In reality, Venezuela is a bankrupt state whose economy has declined precipitously over the last decade,” he said, warning against exaggerating its threat.
As Maduro sits in U.S. custody facing narco-terrorism charges, Venezuela’s future is deeply uncertain. The U.S. promise to “run the country” has raised more questions than answers. For many Americans and people around the world, this moment is not just about Venezuela, but about the kind of power the United States chooses to be.
The arrest of a foreign president by U.S. forces is rare, dramatic, and dangerous. Supporters see strength and justice. Critics see lawlessness and the return of regime-change wars. What is clear is that this single night in Caracas has opened a new chapter of fear, debate, and global tension that will not close anytime soon.
