{"id":391668,"date":"2026-01-04T19:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/391668\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T19:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T19:44:11","slug":"venezuelan-golf-star-and-two-time-olympic-hero-speaks-out-after-president-maduros-capture-by-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/391668\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan golf star and two-time Olympic hero speaks out after President Maduro&#8217;s capture by Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"author-section byline-plain\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/profile-156\/oliver-salt.html\" class=\"author\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">OLIVER SALT, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR<\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"byline-section\"> Published:  15:52 EST, 3 January 2026   |  Updated:  13:19 EST, 4 January 2026   <\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Venezuelan golf star Jhonattan Vegas has taken to social media to celebrate <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/donald_trump\/index.html\" id=\"mol-af24fdf0-e8e4-11f0-b56b-ede281ceeddb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> and the United States&#8217; capture of President Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Trump announced early Saturday morning that the US had taken Maduro and his wife\u00a0Cilia after &#8216;successfully&#8217; carrying out a military strike in the capital of Caracas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The left-wing leader will now stand trial in New York City<a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/new_york\/index.html\" id=\"mol-f49d72a0-e8b1-11f0-b7e8-1b9832a48fdc\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a0<\/a>on drugs and weapons charges, which has sparked jubilant scenes in Venezuela amid the\u00a0rampant violence, inflation, gang warfare and shortages of food and medicine which has crippled them over the past decade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">As a result of those problems, the country has been left facing one of the largest displacement crises in the world, according to the United Stations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">And Vegas, the golfer who has represented them at two Olympic Games, was one of many Venezuelan&#8217;s left ecstatic with the news of Maduro&#8217;s capture.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The 41-year-old first shared a post on X with several Venezuelan flags, before adding another shortly after.<\/p>\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-c8b1064d7064bbfa\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/105205401-15431747-image-m-114_1767473186592.jpg\" height=\"468\" width=\"306\" alt=\"Jhonattan Vegas\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>    <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-28f423eb68be40bc\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/105205655-15431747-image-m-119_1767473396941.jpg\" height=\"468\" width=\"306\" alt=\"President Nicolas Maduro\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Venezuela golfer Jhonattan Vegas (left) has celebrated the capture of President Maduro (right)<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-70489cdf56ff89c\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/105205587-15431747-image-m-117_1767473324752.jpg\" height=\"467\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Donald Trump announced the US had successfully taken Maduro and his wife out of Venezuela early Saturday morning\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Donald Trump announced the US had successfully taken Maduro and his wife out of Venezuela early Saturday morning<\/p>\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\" xml:lang=\"es\" xml:lang=\"es\">Viva Venezuela CARAJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jhonattan Vegas (@JhonattanVegas) <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JhonattanVegas\/status\/2007384045014110472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 3, 2026<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p lang=\"art\" dir=\"ltr\" xml:lang=\"art\" xml:lang=\"art\">\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\uddea<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jhonattan Vegas (@JhonattanVegas) <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JhonattanVegas\/status\/2007352181377368534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 3, 2026<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Translated from Spanish to English, Vegas said: &#8216;Long live Venezuela, DAMN IT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Vegas has previously expressed support for\u00a0Maria Corina Machado, leader of the opposition to Maduro&#8217;s administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In a post on X last month, the PGA Tour star shared photos of himself meeting Machado and said: &#8216;Thank you @MariaCorinaYA for your courage and sacrifice for our great country. It&#8217;s always an inspiration to see how you fight for our country, and I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ll be the leader who will transform Venezuela into the country we all dream of. God bless you @MariaCorinaYA #VivaVenezuela&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Addressing journalists hours after the shocking capture of Maduro and his wife, Trump said on Saturday: &#8216;We&#8217;re going to run the country until as such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;We don&#8217;t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation as we had for the last long number of years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;So we are going to run the country until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Trump offered little further detail on the logistics of running Venezuela, which has a population of 30 million, but suggested the country&#8217;s vast oil reserves would be used to fund its revival.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-4c04c31dfcd4f8ba\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/105202515-15431747-image-a-118_1767473376851.jpg\" height=\"760\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Maduro pictured after his capture in a photo shared by Trump on his TruthSocial website\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Maduro pictured after his capture in a photo shared by Trump on his TruthSocial website\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida<a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/florida\/index.html\" id=\"mol-df7faae0-e8c6-11f0-b72a-27ac3bdd3a9a\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><\/a>, Trump alleged that Maduro is the leader of the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) drug trafficking operation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The president has accused Maduro and his alleged cartel cronies of flooding the United States with illegal narcotics and has charged him with drug smuggling and weapons offenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">After his capture by the US Army&#8217;s elite Delta Force unit, Maduro was flown by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima warship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">He will be taken to New York City to face charges at Manhattan Federal Court and will likely be held at Brooklyn&#8217;s Metropolitan Detention Center, which currently houses alleged CEO murderer Luigi Mangione.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>                    Share or comment on this article:<br \/>\n                        Venezuelan golf star and two-time Olympic hero speaks out after President Maduro&#8217;s capture by Trump<\/p>\n<p>        <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By OLIVER SALT, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Published: 15:52 EST, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 13:19 EST, 4&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391669,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,100,755,588,85,1055],"class_list":["post-391668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-dailymail","tag-golf","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}