In a subsequent telephone interview with Fox News, Trump elaborated on the mission, stating that U.S. special operations forces “bum rushed” Maduro inside a fortified residence. The president said the structure featured steel doors and a “safety space” designed to withstand assaults, but that Maduro failed to reach the secure area before troops entered. Trump described the equipment carried by the assault team, including “massive blow torches,” though he noted that breaching tools were ultimately unnecessary.
Trump also indicated that no American personnel were killed during the raid, though “a couple of guys were hit.” One helicopter sustained significant damage, he said, but managed to return to base. The commander in chief watched the mission’s progress from Mar-a-Lago alongside advisers, according to his account.
Next legal steps
Senator Marco Rubio, chairing Senate Foreign Relations, told reporters that Maduro would stand trial in the United States and that Washington does not anticipate additional military action inside Venezuela. Vice President J.D. Vance echoed that assessment on social media, writing that the Venezuelan president had been offered “multiple off ramps” and that the latest operation showed “Trump means what he says.”
The administration has not detailed the specific charges awaiting Maduro and Flores. However, the Justice Department previously unsealed indictments in March 2020 accusing Maduro and other senior officials of narcoterrorism, drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Those documents remain active and could form the basis of a federal prosecution. Background on the 2020 indictments is available on the U.S. Department of Justice website.
Venezuelan response and diplomatic fallout
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said Caracas had requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to address what he termed “criminal aggression” by the United States. “No cowardly attack will overcome the strength of this people,” Gil Pinto wrote on the messaging platform Telegram. As of mid-morning, the U.N. Secretariat had not confirmed whether the meeting would be scheduled.
There was no immediate comment from remaining senior figures in Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party. State television interrupted regular programming around 2 a.m. to display a static graphic urging citizens to stay indoors, then went off air. Internet connectivity monitors reported nationwide service disruptions, complicating efforts to verify conditions on the ground.
Imagem: Internet
Background to the strike
The raid follows months of heightened U.S. military activity near Venezuela. In mid-2025, Trump authorized additional naval and aerial assets to patrol the southern Caribbean, initially framing the deployment as a counternarcotics measure. He later accused Maduro of releasing prisoners and psychiatric patients toward the U.S. border, claims that immigration researchers said lacked evidence. The president subsequently argued that Caracas had “stolen” American oil assets nationalized in the 1970s, vowing to compel their return.
On 17 December, Trump posted that the U.S. threat to Venezuela would “only get bigger” unless those assets were restored. Two days later, Secretary of State Rubio said Maduro’s administration was “intolerable” due to alleged cooperation with terrorist and criminal networks.
The United States severed formal diplomatic relations with Venezuela in January 2019, recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president after a contested election. Maduro retained control of security forces and key institutions, while U.S. sanctions deepened Venezuela’s economic crisis and fueled mass migration. The non-partisan Migration Policy Institute estimates that several hundred thousand Venezuelans have settled in the United States since 2015.
Situation in Caracas
Reports from eyewitnesses in the capital described sporadic gunfire and aircraft noise until approximately 3 a.m. local time. By dawn, flames were still visible at parts of Fuerte Tiuna, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. The complex houses army headquarters, residential quarters and ammunition depots. Local hospitals have not released casualty figures, and Venezuelan state media have provided no updates on military losses.
As the day progresses, attention is expected to focus on Trump’s scheduled remarks from Florida, where he is poised to outline the legal pathway for Maduro, clarify the scope of U.S. involvement and address potential regional repercussions.
Crédito da imagem: Str/AFP via Getty Images
