President Trump told the nation the US would now take over running Venezuela, after strongman Nicolas Maduro was captured “in the dead of night.”
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago resort as he provided new details on the stunning military operation.
“We’re going to run it, essentially” through the transition, he said.
US President Donald Trump holds a press conference following a US strike on Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured, from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026. REUTERS
The logistics of a US-run Venezuela were still being worked out, but Trump said it might involve military “boots on the ground.”
“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to,” the president said. “We had boots on the ground last night, at a very high level, actually.”
Later, Trump added, “We’re going to have [a] presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil.”
In a strong assertion of US national prerogative in the hemisphere, Trump said he had one-upped the Monroe Doctrine of the nation’s early history.
“They now call it the Don-roe doctrine,” Trump quipped, while flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
He brushed off questions about the US’s record of running countries in Latin America over the last century and even whether it was consistent with his “America First” mantra.
“We’re going to run the country right, it’s going to be run very judiciously, very fairly,” Trump said.
The president indicated the military had been “prepared to do a second wave” if needed.
A fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
He said his advisors assumed such a wave would be necessary — only one was needed.
He also described an effort to bring back US oil companies who had their infrastructure confiscated by the regime, and use the stolen funds to help compensate Venezuelans who fled to the US.
“We’re going to reimburse people that were taken advantage of,” Trump said.
“We have to rebuild their whole infrastructure.”
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Trump also indicated Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wasn’t up to the task of governing.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he opined. “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect in Venezuela.”
Rubio, meanwhile, had spoken to Maduro’s VP, Delcy Rodriguez, Trump said.
“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” said Trump.
Nicolás Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima. Donald Trump/ Truth Social
“We’re designating people. We’re talking to people. We’re designating various people. We’ll let you know who those people are.”
Trump also addressed Venezuela’s substantial oil resources, saying its oil production has been a “total bust for a long period of time.”
“They were pumping almost nothing,” Trump said.
He said what the US would accomplish “will make the people of Venezuela rich, independent and safe” – after millions fled under years of dictatorship.
Trump said Maduro oversaw a “vicious cartel” and was responsible for the deaths of “countless Americans” and called him an “illegitimate dictator.”
He called Maduro the “kingpin of a vast criminal network,” and indicated prosecutors would decide if Maduro would be tried in New York or in Miami, which is where Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was tried decades ago.
Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:
The president called the operation that took down Maduro “one of the most stunning effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.”
“Not a single American service member was killed” and no US equipment was lost in the operation, Trump said, describing the mission.
“It was dark. The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have. It was dark. And it was deadly” he said.
Trump addressed the nation hours after US special forces snatched the Venezuelan dictator and his wife Cilia Flores. The couple is currently headed to New York City.
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted that the pair had been indicted in the Southern District of New York, referencing a 2020 indictment on drug conspiracy and other charges.
Smoke rises from explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 3, 2026. via REUTERS
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she said on X. The attack came overnight, with at least seven blasts heard over Caracas. Targets included military bases and airports.
Trump in an earlier interview with Fox & Friends said Maduro was en route to New York aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship.
“They’ll be heading to New York – you know they were indicted in New York,” Trump said. “The helicopters took them out … They killed a lot of people, remember,” Trump said.
The political future of Venezuela remains murky. Strongman Hugo Chavez took power in 1999 and was succeeded by Maduro.
Trump said his team was “making the decision” for who would govern Venezuela now that Maduro is en route to New York to face charges.
“We’ll be involved in it very much. And we want to do liberty for the people. We want to have a great relationship,” he added.