BREAKING: Trump confirms strike in Venezuela, says Maduro and wife have been ‘captured’ pic.twitter.com/8OkLawxk6s
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 3, 2026
President Donald Trump announced early Saturday morning that the US carried out a “large scale strike against Venezuela” and that President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured and removed from the country.
“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,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago,” he added.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times shortly after his announcement, Trump hailed what he called a “brilliant operation.”
“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump told the Times. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.”
According to the Times, Trump declined to answer questions about whether he’d sought congressional authority for the strike, saying he’d address it at his upcoming news conference.