President Donald Trump stunned the world early Friday morning with a dramatic social media post claiming that the United States has captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and transported him to U.S. custody following large-scale American military strikes on Venezuela’s capital.
News of the escalation began to circulate shortly after midnight, when multiple media outlets reported a series of explosions rocking Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The strikes marked the most significant direct U.S. military action against the Venezuelan regime to date and followed months of rising tensions between Washington and Caracas.
At 4:21 a.m., Trump took to Truth Social with what he described as a major development, asserting that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured. In the same post, the president promised additional details during a press conference scheduled for later in the day.
The claim immediately sent shockwaves through diplomatic and media circles, as the White House has not previously announced a direct operation to seize the Venezuelan leader. No further details were provided in the initial post regarding how the alleged capture unfolded or where Maduro was being held, though Trump said both Maduro and Flores had been flown to the United States.
The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says.
Kudos to our brave… pic.twitter.com/b1fqkdbB4x
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
The majority of Venezuelans voted Maduro out in 2024
He decided to steal the election anyways
America just let the world know that if you steal elections there will be consequences
Today is a huge win for humanity and democracy across the world pic.twitter.com/a1GoTyXSm1
— The Pleb 🌍 Reporter (@truckdriverpleb) January 3, 2026
Sources in the Venezuela opposition tell Sky News that tonight’s operation to “capture” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, was part of a “negotiated exit” between Maduro and the United States.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026
The announcement comes after a prolonged pressure campaign by the Trump administration targeting Venezuela’s government and its alleged role in international narcotics trafficking. Over the past several months, U.S. forces have carried out repeated strikes against what officials have described as drug-smuggling boats operating out of Venezuelan waters. One such operation on Sept. 2 involved an airstrike that reportedly left two survivors, who were then killed in a follow-on strike, according to prior reporting.
The U.S. has also seized Venezuelan oil tankers as part of its efforts to choke off revenue streams tied to the Maduro regime. Just last week, Trump revealed during an interview that the Central Intelligence Agency had bombed a dock inside Venezuela, an operation that had not been publicly acknowledged at the time. Trump’s off-the-cuff disclosure drew attention to the increasingly aggressive posture of his administration toward Caracas.
The reported strikes on Caracas appear to represent a sharp escalation in that campaign, moving beyond maritime interdictions and infrastructure sabotage to direct action against the seat of Venezuela’s government. While the full scope of the overnight operation remains unclear, reports and videos of multiple explosions suggest a coordinated and sustained attack.
Full-scale military operations appear to be underway against Venezuela, with dozens of helicopters with the U.S. Army spotted over the capital of Caracas. pic.twitter.com/kIqfbGjOK4
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 3, 2026
Trump announced that he will address the developments during a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The choice of venue underscores the president’s preference for delivering major announcements from locations closely associated with his political identity.
The administration has previously accused Maduro of leading a narco-trafficking network and undermining regional stability, though the president’s claim of Maduro’s capture marks a dramatic new chapter in the confrontation. As of early Friday, neither the Venezuelan government nor independent international observers had confirmed Trump’s assertion.
The unfolding situation places the United States and Venezuela on a collision course with potentially far-reaching consequences. With Trump promising further details later in the day, attention now turns to the White House to clarify the scope of the operation, the status of Maduro, and what the administration says comes next.
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