- "I was told that there's no other country on Earth that could do such a manoeuvre," Trump bragged
- He called the operation complex and said "the speed and the violence" were things to behold
- Trump said there were only a "few injuries" on the American side
Praising US special forces again for successfully capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, US President Donald Trump has said that while a "couple of guys" were hit, no American lives were lost during the operation.
Speaking to Fox News hours after the operation on Saturday, Trump also said he watched the raid to capture the authoritarian leader live, and recalled that it was like watching "a television show".
Calling his evening "slightly busy" and saying it was dark all over, "especially in Venezuela", the US president bragged, "I was told by real military people that there's no other country on Earth that could do such a manoeuvre. If you would have seen what happened... I watched it literally like I was watching a television show. And if you would have seen the speed, the violence... it was an amazing thing, an amazing job that these people did. Nobody else could have done anything like it."
Describing the operation as very complex, he said a massive number of aircraft, including helicopters and fighter jets, were involved. He also revealed he had given the all clear for the operation four days ago but the weather played spoilsport.
In his rambling way, Trump continued, "We had a fighter jet for every possible situation. And they just broke in, and they broke into places that were not really able to be broke into (sic), you know, with steel doors that were put there for just this reason. And they got taken out in a matter of seconds... And don't forget, I have done some pretty good ones in other parts of the world, okay? I have done some pretty good ones, but I have never seen anything like this. Don't forget, we did another one not so long ago. It was called the knocking out of the Iranian nuclear threat, the nuclear power."
"He was in a very highly guarded... like a fortress actually. He was in a fortress. It had steel doors, it had what they call a safety space where it's solid steel all around. He did not get that space closed, he was trying to get into it, but he got rushed so fast that he didn't get into that," he said.
On US casualties, Trump asserted no lives were lost. "And to have a few injuries but no deaths on our side is really amazing... A couple of guys were hit, but they came back and they are supposed to be in pretty good shape."
He said a US helicopter was also damaged, but it was flown out.
Maduro On Warship
Putting an end to speculation about where Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been taken after their capture, Trump said the couple were aboard the US warship Iwo Jima and were on their way to New York, where they will be prosecuted.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi had announced the charges against the couple earlier and said they will "face the full wrath of American justice".
"Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States," she posted on X.
The Operation
US forces launched the operation early on Saturday in Venezuela and several blasts were heard in parts of the capital, Caracas, along with the roar of aircraft. In less than 30 minutes, under the cover of strikes, a Delta Force team captured Maduro and his wife, and flew them out of Venezuela.
While Trump has accused Maduro of pushing migrants and drugs into the country, the leftist leader has said the US was after Venezuelan resources, particularly oil.
"Since they can't accuse me or accuse Venezuela of having weapons of mass destruction (like in the case of Iraq), they have invented a claim that the US knows is false," Maduro had said.
